London: Elena Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, launched her 2024 campaign at the All England Club with a commanding 6-3, 6-1 victory over Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the first round on Tuesday.
Rybakina needed just 1 hour and 11 minutes to dispatch Romania’s Ruse, who is currently ranked No.152.
Rybakina had previously bested Ruse in straight sets at the 2022 Miami Open, and this latest encounter followed a similar script despite a strong start from the Romanian. Ruse, who has achieved a career-high ranking of World No.51 and clinched a WTA singles title in Hamburg in 2021, entered the match in fine form, having not dropped a set in her three qualifying matches.
The 26-year-old Ruse began confidently, taking an early 3-1 lead. However, once Rybakina found her rhythm and unleashed her formidable power under the closed roof of Court No.1, the match swung decisively in her favor. Rybakina stormed through the next five games to capture the first set, maintaining a flawless 13-for-13 record on her first-service points.
In the second set, Rybakina’s momentum continued as she raced to a 4-0 lead. A moment of concern arose when Ruse fell to the ground clutching her left knee after Rybakina fired a forehand winner to clinch a game. Despite this setback, Ruse showed resilience by winning the next game to avoid a bagel.
Nonetheless, Rybakina’s dominance was unrelenting. She converted her second match point with a return winner, sealing the victory and improving her impressive Wimbledon main-draw record to 15-2.
As this year’s ace leader, Rybakina added three aces to her 2024 total, bringing it to 270. She comfortably leads the field in this category, with Karolina Pliskova trailing in second place with 210 aces for the year.
–IANS
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