Rybakina aces opening test in Dubai, ousts Birrell in one hour
Elena Rybakina looked every bit the No. 1 seed in her Dubai opener Tuesday night, racing to a 6-1, 6-2 win over Kimberly Birrell in 60 minutes to reach the third round.
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She overwhelmed her Australian opponent, winning the first eight points of the match and 12 of the first 13 on her way to a 5-0 lead. After Birrell held to love, Rybakina served out the set in just 23 minutes. The Australian Open champ won 24 points to Birrell’s nine in the opening set and converted 100% of her first-serve points.
“I started well and the serve was helping,” Rybakina said in her on-court interview. “Then in the second set, the energy dropped a little bit. I was not pushing as much with my legs. Overall, I’m happy with the result, with the match, and now I just need to rest and prepare for tomorrow.”
Even with that slight dip, her control of the match never wavered. She broke for a 2-1 lead in the second set and consolidated with a hold to love, then won five straight points from 40-0 down to break again for 4-1. She closed out the match with a gutsy hold, saving three break points.
She finished with a near-perfect 91% mark on first-serve points won and took 63% of points on her second serve as well. She was sharp from the baseline, too, striking 19 winners -- many off the forehand -- nearly double Birrell’s total.
The win improves the Kazakh’s record to 6-0 in opening matches in Dubai and sets up a third-round meeting with Antonia Ruzic, their first at the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz level.
In addition to her first win over Ruzic, she’ll also look to extend her dominance in the Middle East. Since 2023, Rybakina has collected 23 wins in WTA-level events in the region, the most of any player.
“I spend so much time here,” Rybakina told reporters after the match. “So it feels like home. Actually, a lot of people who work here always say, ‘Welcome back, welcome home,’ and it’s really nice.
“This tournament is actually quick, for me at least. I would gladly have it be a little bit longer with maybe a day in between (matches), but it’s a really nice atmosphere on the court and I feel a lot of support, so it’s really nice to play here.”