Elena Rybakina is back on the tennis courts, and she started her 2024 US Open campaign with a needed win.
Rybakina hasn't been much in action in the past few weeks, dealing with ongoing physical problems that have kept her unable to play. She's had those in the past, as well as some sicknesses that cost her a few events.
It's often mentioned as a problem because, on talent alone, she is good enough to be one of the best players in the world. She's already among those but continues to struggle physically, which is not good.
An injury-prone player isn't likely to fulfill their potential. She was back in Cincinnati but didn't play as well, losing to Leylah Fernandez in her first match. Her first match at Flushing Meadows was much better for Rybakina, but she also faced a player who was not as good as Fernandez.
Destanee Aiava did extremely well to make it through the qualifiers, but this was a tough matchup for her. Rybakina possesses devastating power from the ground, which causes all kinds of problems to players much stronger than the Australian.
She had no chance in this match because Rybakina's first-set performance was a dominant affair, as she won it 6-1. While Aiava held on when she hit her first serve, she could do any damage with her second serve.
It was too weak, and Rybakina punished her immediately. The Australian tried to counter with more aggression, but it didn't really work out that well. She totaled many unforced errors, and couldn't get her too far.
Rybakina wasn't hitting super cleanly because she still had more unforced errors than winners, but she had to do that. Her serve was not working, which gave Aiava more looks on her second serve.
As the Australian attacked it, the fourth seed increased the risk profile, which worked out. Despite totalling many errors, the Kazakhstani player still easily outplayed her opponent in the opening set.
The Australian played much better in the second set and held her serve. The games were competitive, and Rybakina had chances, but Aiava was able to keep winning her games.
Overall, it was a much better display from the qualifier. She didn't risk as much and didn't miss as badly as she did in the opening set. Rybakina continued to play attacking tennis, but she wasn't hitting as cleanly as she generally could.
Still, hitting double the winners that her opponent hit proved more than enough to win the match. It came at 3-3, with Rybakina taking a 4-3 lead, which seemed like the end of the match.
Not quite, as the Australian battled back to take a 5-4 lead and keep the match going a little longer. Aiava even had set points at the end of that set, but Rybakina could force a tie-break.
She then outplayed her opponent to keep the match in two sets, winning it 6-1, 7-6(1) to reach the second round of the 2024 US Open.
| Elena Rybakina | Destanee Aiava | |
| 11 | Aces | 5 |
| 7 | Double Faults | 5 |
| 50% | First Serve % | 60% |
| 79% (30/38) | Points Won After First Serve % | 61% (23/38) |
| 47% (18/38) | Points Won After Second Serve % | 48% (12/25) |
| 50% (3/6) | Break Point Conversion | 20% (1/5) |
| 32 | Winners | 13 |
| 32 | Unforced Errors | 22 |