Elena Rybakina is the name that everyone is talking about in 2023 and now she showed her fighting spirit at the Miami Open.
After winning last year's Wimbledon, for which she wasn't awarded any points, Rybakina started climbing up the rankings on the WTA Tour just this year. First, she reached the Australian Open final and then she lifted the trophy in Indian Wells.
At the 2023 Miami Open, Rybakina is also one of the favourites and her dream of completing the Sunshine Double is on track after saving a match point against the 21st-seeded Paula Badosa.
Badosa is a player that knows how it feels to win a big title as she has also lifted the Indian Wells trophy back in 2021. However, since then she struggled with form and fell out of the Top 20 and she wasn't considered as one of the favourites during this year's Sunshine Double.
But after defeating Laura Siegemund in the second round, in a match in which she played against a ball boy, the Spanish player was determined to beat also the World No. 7.
Every game in the first set was heavily contested as both players had multiple break points. In the end, Badosa was more precise when it mattered, and after breaking four of her opponent's five service games, she won the first set 6-3.
In the second set, Badosa started better once again, leading 4-2 after earning the first break of the set. But Rybakina broke back and levelled the score of the second set at 4-4.
However, fuelled by the prospect of a big upset, Badosa got close to winning the match and even had a match point in the tenth game, as she could take care of the second surprise of the day after the sixth-seeded Coco Gauff lost hours prior. But the Spaniard couldn't use her chance.
On the other hand, Rybakina started an incredible comeback, winning three consecutive games and taking the second set 7-5.
In the third set, the Kazakh had no more problems, controlling the match and winning 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 to advance to the fourth round of the 2023 Miami Open where she'll take on Elise Mertens from Belgium.
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