Born in Moscow, she decided to represent Kazakhstan in 2018, she has already made history for the country that hosted her: at 23 years old, Elena Rybakina defeated Ons Jabeur (6-3, 6-3, 6-2) to win Wimbledon and became the first Kazakh tennis player to win a Grand Slam.
But this Saturday’s Wimbledon women’s final made history from the beginning. Ons Jabeur was the first Arab and African tennis player, male or female, to reach a Grand Slam final in the Open Era. Já Elena Rybakina was the first hunter (born in Moscovo most represented or Cazaquistão since she was 19 years old) to reach or win two of the four main circuit tournaments, in addition to being the youngest finalist since Garbiñe Muguruza in 2015, with just 23 years.
Elena Rybakina lives up to the circumstances ✨
In the year of its centenary, the Center Court crowns a new champion of Individual Ladies#Wimbledon | #CentralCourt100 pic.twitter.com/Wabfr0GTdS
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 9, 2022
To reach the final, Rybakina beat CoCo Vandeweghe, Bianca Andreescu, Zheng Qinwe, Petra Martić, Ajla Tomljanović, and Simona Halep. number 23 of classification WTA has always shown to be at a high level throughout the tournament, with consistent offensive demonstrations and very much based on a strong and fast service, clearly enhanced by the meter eighty four from which he benefits.
Born in Moscow in 1999, the tennis player reached No. 3 in the world as a junior and was invited to represent Kazakhstan in 2018, at the age of 19. accepting the challenge after acquiring Kazakh nationality and relying mainly on the financial support that was guaranteed. In recent weeks, when asked about the fact that she was born in Russia and that Russian athletes were removed from Wimbledon after the invasion of Ukraine, Rybakina did not even stir up controversy.
tunisair @Ons_Jabeur takes off on Center Court, winning the first set 6-3 against Elena Rybakina#Wimbledon | #CentralCourt100 pic.twitter.com/nL2lIBh51w
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 9, 2022
“I have been playing for Kazakhstan for a long time. They trusted me, I feel very happy to represent Kazakhstan. I played the Olympics, the Fed Cup… I was born in Russia, yes, but I represent another country. I don’t even spend time in Russia. I train in Slovakia and Dubai and travel all the time. Even the president of my Federation came to see me play, it’s an honor”, said the tennis player, who in Tokyo was left out of the bronze medal after losing to Elina Svitolina and who had the most enthusiastic fans in the stands of the President of the Federation of Kazakhstan.
In the court The All England Club center Ons Jabeur showed superiority from the start and took advantage of Elena Rybakina’s 17 unforced errors to win the first establish (6-3), with Kazakh women showing many difficulties in responding to slices of the opponent Rybakina answered in the second establishleading Jabeur into several hitherto unseen errors and stamping seven winners in three and a half games— while in the first establish all, had made the same seven. The 23-year-old tennis player found the best tennis of hers at this point, making the final more competitive and completely relaunching the result, finally winning the second establish (6-2) and tie the match to take it to a third and final establish.
The comeback is underway.
Elena Rybakina sends us to a decider, giving her best to win the second set 6-2#Wimbledon | #CentralCourt100 pic.twitter.com/pj0QYDnUZB
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 9, 2022
The 2022 women’s final came like this at three sets — something that also happened last year, with Ashleigh Barty’s victory over Karolina Plíškovám, but hasn’t happened since Serena Williams defeated Agnieszka Radwańska in 2012, having only happened three other times in the last 20 years. And then Elena Rybakina did what seemed impossible two hours earlier: kept his focus, forced Ons Jabeur into countless unlikely mistakes, secured brutal serves at hundreds of miles per hour and won the third establish to win Wimbledon (6-2), becoming the youngest winner since Maria Sharapova in 2011.
So after a first establish in which everything seemed lost, Elena Rybakina reached the highest point of her own career – the best result in Grand Slams was even reaching the quarterfinals of Roland Garros in 2021 – and confirmed the idea that she remains, at this point, one of the most promising tennis players to follow in the coming years. More than that, Elena Rybakina achieved the feat of being a Russian-born athlete to win Wimbledon in the year Wimbledon excluded all Russians and Belarusians.
The moment Elena Rybakina became Wimbledon champion???? #Wimbledon | #CentralCourt100 pic.twitter.com/gVCU9oqxx5
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 9, 2022
Source: Observadora
