Elena Rybakina was close to losing the match against Danielle Collins at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Open, but she then rallied spectacularly to win in three sets.
Collins was always going to be a really tough matchup for Rybakina because she has a very heavy baseline-focused play, which can create problems. The Kazakhstani player is not the greatest mover due to her size, and if you can push her around the court, you can find a lot of success.
That's how she lost at the Australian Open and nearly lost again at the WTA 500 event in Abu Dhabi. Collins took the opening set by outplaying her opponent from the baseline and playing the crucial rallies better.
She won all the crucial rallies and was spectacular on her serve, dropping only one point behind the first serve in the first set. Many assumed Rybakina would play that type of set, but she didn't.
The momentum carried over for the American in the following set as she took an early break. She lost it, as she didn't serve as well in this set, and the same thing happened a few games after that.
She would break but then lose her serve to make it 3-3 again. That sequence of events would lift Rybakina as she started to play much better but also to serve quite well.
As a result, Rybakina was able to turn around the set in her favor 6-3. The final set was very interesting as Rybakina took an early lead but immediately lost it.
She would then break once more and, this time around, hold her serve to make it 4-2. Collins was not playing as sharply as she was at the start of the match, which Rybakina used to her advantage.
She would pull off the comeback win by cruising to the finish line without too many problems. The final score was 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 for the top seed, who made it to the quarterfinals of the tournament.
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