Defending Champion Elena Rybakina Survives Second-Round Scare At Abu Dhabi Open
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Elena Rybakina had to show a lot of character in her second-round win at the 2025 Abu Dhabi Open.
Rybakina came to Abu Dhabi as the defending champion. She won the tournament last year, and this year, she will want to defend her title at the WTA 500 event to avoid a drop in the rankings.
The Kazakhstani player was ranked fifth in the world prior to this tournament, but if she loses early, she might drop to the World No. 7 position. In the second round, her opponent was Katie Volynets.
The American player is ranked 68th in the world, which is why she had to play in the qualifying in Abu Dhabi. She beat Heather Watson and Daria Saville to find herself in the main draw of the WTA 500 event played at the Zayed Sports City.
The draw was nice to her, but also not at the same time. In the first round, Volynets drew fellow qualifier Sonay Kartal, which dramatically improved her chances of making it to the second round. She used that to her advantage, winning the match, but her second-round opponent was the top seed at the event.
Still, Volynets didn't seem to be bothered by who was standing on the opposite side of the net early in this match. The American player started by breaking her opponent's serve, but she was immediately broken back.
However, she was able to continue pressuring her opponent's serve, and even though Volynets faced four more break points in the opening set, she saved all of them.
On the other hand, she broke Rybakina's serve twice, and surprisingly, after 46 minutes of play, the underdog won the first set of this match 6-2.
Rybakina needed an answer in the second set, but for a very long time, she couldn't find it. The longer the set went on without her getting to break point chances, the more probable it was that a little dip in a level could cost her the match.
But the defending champion stayed incredibly solid, especially on her serve. On top of that, Rybakina got herself to break point chances when leading 4-3, and even though three break points were not enough for her, she had two more chances to break at 5-4, and with her fifth break point in the set, she won it 6-4.
The Kazakhstani player started by breaking her opponent's serve in the third set, and for the vast majority of the set, it seemed that she was cruising to a win.
However, when the 2022 Wimbledon champion served for the match, Volynets found some inspired level, broke back, and at 5-4 for Rybakina, it was game on again.
The American player led 40-15 on her serve, and it seemed that a tie-break would have to decide this match. But out of nowhere, Rybakina won four points in a row to break her opponent's serve and win this match 2-6, 6-4, 6-4.
It was a hard-fought win for her, but it might be what she needed to get herself started. In the quarter-finals, Rybakina will take on the winner of the match between Ons Jabeur and a 17-year-old super talent Wakana Sonobe.
