World No. 2 Elena Rybakina suffered a heartbreaking loss to Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals of the Italian Open. The Kazakh won the first set of the contest but then failed to match the Ukrainian’s intensity as she raised her game in the following two sets, ultimately losing 6-2, 4-6, 4-6.
Rybakina’s loss prevented her from reaching the final of another WTA 1000 tournament since her last appearance at Indian Wells, where she lost the title to Aryna Sabalenka. This season, the Kazakh player has won the Australian Open and Stuttgart Open, but consecutive losses in Madrid and Rome raise concerns.
Fans were clearly surprised by Rybakina’s performance after she secured the first set on Wednesday. The Kazakh struggled to counter Svitolina’s energy and aggressive service games, leading to social media criticism of the World No. 2 for the defeat.
“Elena cosplaying Jannik during that AO semi. No reason she should be clowning like she is today. Being 2/18 on bps is so bad,” one fan commented.
“You gotta respect Elena’s commitment t to playing a damn fool,” another fan commented.
“Saying it now. Out of the current top five Elena Rybakina is the weakest mentally. She frequently gets passive and worried/panicked once her opponent starts playing well. No answers, no ability to adapt or adjust. She was lost for that 2nd set against an opp she played before,” yet another fan commented.
Some other fans questioned how Rybakina actually won in Melbourne and Stuttgart, while others praised Svitolina for the match, asserting that the Kazakh faltered in converting the break-point opportunities she received in the second and third sets.
“I don’t know what happened in WTA finals and AO ….in AO she was 0-3 in 3rd set and she won the title,” one fan commented.
“Elina played her best , besides she’s leading in clay against Elena, I watched their previous games, Elina is dominant in clay against Rybakina. In a hard court, it’s a different story,” another fan commented.
“4 bp’s converted from 20 opportunities underscored her inability to win easily. 0/7 in 2nd set, was appalling. She had bp’s on 9 of Svitolina 11 service games. An overhead mishit smash at net & later volleying long past an open court late in 3rd set highlighted a fragility,” yet another fan commented.
Elena Rybakina Will Aim to Redeem Losses From Madrid and Rome at the French Open
Rybakina was ousted in the round of 16 in Madrid and in the quarterfinals in Rome. Now, the two-time Grand Slam champion will aim to redeem those losses at the French Open, starting May 25. The World No. 2 will aim to break the Roland Garros quarterfinal curse, having reached the quarterfinals in 2021 and 2024.
The Kazakh player has some time to recognize her weaknesses on clay and refine her game before competing in the main draw of the French Open in Paris, FR, alongside some of the top WTA players.
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