As her famously downbeat reaction to winning Wimbledon demonstrated, Elena Rybakina is not given to spontaneous displays of emotion.
So when the Kazakhstani world No 4 raised a clenched fist during a comfortable straight-sets victory over Egypt’s Mayar Sherif at the Madrid Open, it felt noteworthy. Rybakina had just pulled off a silken drop volley at full stretch, one of numerous forays to the net in a contest that demanded front-foot aggression, and clearly it felt good.
A willingness to venture forward has always been a feature of the 24-year-old’s game but, increasingly, her enterprise is matched by her skill. From her transition play to her technique and athleticism, Rybakina’s net game has been on an upward trajectory for a while now. That understated fist pump was a reflection not only of a deliciously executed shot, but also of the satisfaction that comes when hard work on the practice court pays off on the match court.
For a player who combines destructive groundstrokes with one of the most potent serves in the women’s game, the ability to finish off points at the net is crucial. That is especially true against a tenacious competitor like Sherif, whose ability to retrieve lost causes knows no bounds. The combative 27-year-old’s current ranking of 72 belies her quality, particularly on clay, where she has amassed six titles at WTA Challenger level. A noisy, chasing, defiant ball of energy, Sherif did all she could to absorb Rybakina’s power and prolong the baseline exchanges, but the fourth seed’s clinical edge saw her through a contest that was far tighter than a 6-1, 6-4 scoreline suggested.
“If I continue like this it will be great, of course,” said Rybakina, who dethroned Iga Swiatek en route to winning the Stuttgart Open title last weekend. “I will try to do my best and stay consistent and, most importantly, healthy.
“So far I’m playing really well.”
Given that she has now won 14 straight matches on clay, a sequence that dates back to last year’s Italian Open victory, that is something of an understatement. In the past decade, only Serena Williams, Simona Halep and Swiatek have compiled such a streak on the surface. The glaring difference between Rybakina and that trio is that while they have won a collective total of seven French Open titles, she has yet to advance beyond the quarter-finals at Roland Garros.
On current form, however, Rybakina will be widely fancied to alter that statistic when events get underway in Paris next month. Forced to withdraw from the tournament with a viral illness last year, she has been a model of good health and good form this season, winning a tour-leading three titles and 28 matches. Swiatek, the defending champion, remains the favourite for what would be a fourth title in five years but, unless things change radically over the next month, Rybakina will arrive in the French capital as the woman most likely to prise the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen from the Polish world No 1’s grasp.
There is a lot of tennis to be played between now and then, of course, and the more immediate focus for Rybakina is a good run in Madrid. Victory over Sherif was a good start, carrying her into the last 16 for the first time. Yet her route to a meeting with Sara Bejlek, an 18-year-old qualifier from the Czech Republic, was far from uncomplicated.
Sherif’s dogged resistance was never more evident than in an epic second game that spanned nine deuces and 17 minutes before Rybakina finally converted her seventh break point, turning defence into attack with a deep lob and then securing the lead with a pair of heavy forehands. It set the tone for what was to follow, with Rybakina’s eagerness to shorten the points evident as she took the ball on the rise and pressed forward at every opportunity.
“It was a tough match, even the first set – no matter the score, it was still not easy, a lot of games on deuce and the second set was a little bit tricky to close,” said Rybakina, who was made to battle all the way after Sherif saved four match points in the penultimate game.
“Mayar, she’s really a fighter, so I knew it was going to be tough, long rallies.
“She’s a more defensive player and I needed to attack, so I knew that some unforced errors were going to come. But, overall, I was ready for all the scenarios, and I think I was focused from the beginning till the end and played really well.”
It has been the story of her season – however little she may show it.