Kazakstan’s Elena Rybakina waves after successful the match towards Canada’s Leylah Fernandez through the Qatar Open quarter-final in Doha, Qatar.
| Picture Credit score: AP
Third seed Elena Rybakina took time to get going however secured a 6-4 6-2 victory over Leylah Fernandez to succeed in the semi-finals of the Qatar Open on Thursday and keep on observe for her third title of the season.
Rybakina, who has lifted the Brisbane and Abu Dhabi trophies this yr, dropped serve twice in the beginning of the conflict however the 24-year-old stemmed the movement of errors from her racket and gained 5 video games in a row from 4-1 down to assert the opening set.
Fernandez confirmed extra struggle within the second set, however the 2021 U.S. Open runner-up couldn’t forestall former Wimbledon champion Rybakina from grabbing two extra breaks and powering to victory on the again of some large hitting.
“It was a tough match. I did not begin the set nicely. It took me a while to get used to Leylah’s ball,” Rybakina stated after clinching a joint tour-leading 14th win of the season.
“She performs very totally different. Additionally a lefty. I am actually blissful I managed to win the primary one. After that, it was a bit simpler to begin the second.”
Kazakstan’s Elena Rybakina returns to Canada’s Leylah Fernandez through the Qatar Open quarter-final in Doha.
| Picture Credit score:
AP
Up subsequent for the Moscow-born Kazakh is a conflict with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova after the unseeded Russian reached the Doha semi-finals for the primary time following a 7-5 6-4 win over American qualifier Danielle Collins.
“Hopefully it may be a terrific match to see. We all know one another very nicely on the court docket and off the court docket. Hopefully I can get well and present some good tennis,” Rybakina added.
The highest-ranked Iga Swiatek performs double Grand Slam champion Victoria Azarenka in one other quarter-final on Centre Courtroom afterward Thursday, earlier than Naomi Osaka takes on Karolina Pliskova in a conflict between former world quantity ones.
