Elena Rybakina fends off Cristina Bucsa in Adelaide, clinches sixth consecutive victory
Jan 10, 2024
Adelaide [Australia], January 10 : World No.3 Elena Rybakina continued her blistering run as she extended her winning streak to six matches with a 6-3, 7-5 win over lucky loser Cristina Bucsa in the Round of 16 of the Adelaide International on Wednesday.
The World No.3 had to pass her most difficult test of the season thus far. She had only lost 15 games in her five Brisbane matches combined, and none of her opponents had held her for more than 73 minutes. Bucsa, on the other hand, played toe-to-toe with Rybakina for an hour and 30 minutes, and only the former Wimbledon champion's clutch play on crucial points allowed her to emerge victorious in a match that was on the verge of turning against her.
"For me it was a bit tough to get used to the conditions, and we're playing late. She played really well today, especially coming forward -- you don't see this much, so it was a bit surprising for me," Rybakina was quoted as saying by WTA.
The Spaniard Bucsa was keen to force herself on the game with rapid baseline redirections, drop shots out of nowhere, and, as Rybakina had noticed, excellent touch at the net.
She had an excellent first set, with nine wins and just three unforced mistakes, and she continued her winning streak in the second set, with 11 more victories and nine unforced errors.
Rybakina was not as quick off the ground as she had been in Brisbane, with 18 unforced mistakes in total. Her first serve, however, was as fearsome as ever, and it saved her when she needed it the most. Rybakina saved the first seven break points she encountered, including all four in the opening. In contrast, she capitalised on her first two opportunities to grab the Bucsa serve, at the conclusion of the first set and the start of the second.
But No.61-ranked Bucsa, who won her maiden WTA 125 title in Limoges a month ago, persisted, eventually taking Rybakina's serve for the seventh time asking to tie the match 3-3 in the second set after the Kazakh missed a volley.
The rest of the match hung in the balance till the conclusion. Rybakina broke Bucsa again at 6-5, but had to save another break chance before serving for victory with a backhand winner. On her second match point, she hammered down an 11th ace to advance to the quarterfinals, where she will face Ekaterina Alexandrova, who overcame No.8 seed Veronika Kudermetova 6-4, 6-4, replicating the outcome of last year's's-Hertogenbosch final.
