Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan holds the trophy after successful in opposition to Daria Kasatkina within the ladies’s singles last match of the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open tennis match, in Abu Dhabi.
| Picture Credit score: AP
High seed Elena Rybakina powered to a 6-1 6-4 win over Russian Daria Kasatkina within the last of the Abu Dhabi Open on Sunday to carry her second trophy of the season and seventh total.
The 2022 Wimbledon champion started the competition on Stadium Court docket in sometimes dominant vogue to seize an early break, however seventh seed Kasatkina struck again with considered one of her personal solely to fall behind once more in blustery situations.
Rybakina regained composure to go 5-1 up on the again of massive serving as Kasatkina struggled for consistency and the 24-year-old Brisbane champion wrapped up the opening set in 25 minutes when her opponent despatched a forehand large.
The pair had come into the competition having cut up their 4 conferences – all on hardcourts – and Adelaide runner-up Kasatkina confirmed loads of combat to drag two breaks again within the subsequent set with relentless baseline hitting and beautiful winners.
Degree at 4-4, Rybakina turned the warmth as much as break the 26-year-old Kasatkina with a crosscourt scorcher and the Moscow-born Kazakh returned after a short rain delay to safe the victory on serve.
Each gamers will now head to Doha for the Qatar Open, with Kasatkina set to face Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in her opener on Monday whereas Rybakina has a bye into the second spherical.
“A troublesome week, particularly the final matches, and tomorrow is already a match in Doha (for Kasatkina),” Rybakina stated.
“Hopefully we each get well and do effectively there and possibly play last there.
“I need to thank all of the followers who got here to help us. It has been a tremendous environment and particularly to see the flags from Kazakhstan it actually means rather a lot.”
Kasatkina, who got here via a gruelling semi-final in opposition to Beatriz Haddad Maia on Saturday that lasted practically three hours, was dissatisfied with the loss however remained upbeat about her kind early within the season.
“Did I’ve sufficient within the tank for the ultimate? I squeezed every part that I had left and it wasn’t sufficient in opposition to a participant like Elena … you need to be at your greatest to have an opportunity to beat her,” Kasatkina stated.
“Unlucky that the match ended this fashion however there’s a variety of positives within the week. There’s nothing to be unhappy about however after all it is all the time disappointing to lose in a last.”
