Elena Rybakina returned to grass for the first time since lifting the Wimbledon trophy last year and it was a good return.
It was a two-part return because the players were asked to leave the courts after the match was suspended due to rain that began minutes after the match started. It's the first time Rybakina stood on the court since her Roland Garros withdrawal due to breathing difficulties.
It was a long recovery as the illness was a tricky one for the now top-3 ranked player who needed a week to feel right again. It had no impact on her preparations for the Berlin Open as made a winning start against Kudermetova. Polina Kudermetova.
Rybakina applied heavy pressure on the Russian from the start of the match forcing a few break points in the first and third serving game of Kudermetova. We didn't see a break until the final game of the first set in which Rybakina finally got it done converting the now set/break point to take the opening set.
It was a really strong effort overall as she dominated the rallies though Kudermetova offered a lot of resistance. The younger sister of Veronika Kudermetova had six aces in the opening set, narrowly missing out on breaking Rybakina in the first set as well.
The second set was far more impressive from Rybakina who broke Kudermetova early in the second set which set the tone for the rest of the set which was mainly uneventful. Rybakina finished things off well continuing to serve well and just dominating the rallies against an opponent who fought well but couldn't produce the necessary level to match Rybakina.
The problem for Kudermetova was mostly winning points behind her second serve as she lost 15 of 25 of those. The final score was 6-4 6-2 for Rybakina who now has 33 wins this year. She's the defending champion at Wimbledon and this was a great start for her.
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