Aussie Open: Rybakina's World

1st Set

What a start to the match.  #1 Iga Świątek goes up 40-0 in the opening game of the match.  Elena Rybakina battles back to win the next five points to break the world #1 right away.  Feeling the heat,  Świątek responds by going up 15-40.  With two breakpoint opportunities, Iga drops the next four straight points to go down 0-2 to start the match.  A golden opportunity to be up 2-0, but instead, due to an inability to close out the first two games is down 0-2.  Świątek serves.  She needs to hold serve, if she gets broken again to go down 0-3, the first set is lost in all likelihood.  

Świątek holds.  Regaining her composure, Iga goes on the attack.  Having lost her first service, she knows that she has to break Rybakina in order to have any chance to win the first set. Świątek gets the break out of the way early and wins to tie up the set 2-2.  The next two games are both holds, making the first set 3-3 with Świątek serving.  Unbelievably, the "Kazakh" Rybakina, thanks to her ultra-aggressive and blistering returns with pinpoint accuracy, breaks the world #1 again.  

3-4 Rybakina serves.  30-30 after rally wins by Świątek and strong serves by Rybakina.  Iga pulls her cross court shot wide to go down 40-30 in the game.  With Rybakina struggling to get her last two first-serves in, Świątek has the advantage in the rally, but is unable to keep the ball in play.  Rybakina holds.  3-5.

Iga is serving to hang stay alive in the first set.  She needs to hold and break in the next two games.  Świątek serves a brilliant ace to gain a 40-15 advantage, going on to hold serve two points later.  Iga accomplishes the first task at hand, now she needs to take advantage of the second serve advantage, and break Rybakina to prevent a significant opening set defeat.  Rybakina gets the first, second, and fourth point's first-serves in.  

Ending on an ace, Rybakina takes the first set, 6-4.

2nd Set

The world #1 is on the ropes.  Like a lioness prowling the Serengeti, Elena Rybakina is out for blood.  Putting on a near perfect display of tennis.  Filled with aces and winners.  Power and precision.  Two keys to this set for Iga.  Świątek has to take advantage of any second serve opportunities that Rybakina may provide.  Second,  keep the ball in play.  On the few extended rallies in the first-set, the world #1 seemed to provide the final shot straying from the painted lines.

After the 42' opening set, both players should be warmed up. With few extended rallies and a quick set, no both champions are fit and healthy.  Świątek opens play again in the second set.  At 15-15, Iga hits a winner down the line to go up 30-15.  She follows it up with a cross-court winner after another rally.  Capping off the opening game win with a slam at the net.  Something to note, all three winners were to the left of Rybakina. 

1-0 Świątek, Rybakina serves.  An opening fault, but Iga hits a rally into the net.  15-0 Rybakina.  Another fault, another unforced error for Iga.  30-0 Rybakina.  Iga returns the first serve and wins the point thanks to an errant pull by the opposition.  Another second seve opportunity and Iga pushes Rybakina back to the baseline.  Evening the game at 30-30.  Second serve again, and Rybakina double faults.  Break point for Świątek.  Another fault.  And just like that, Iga goes up 2-0.

The fans from Poland start to chant, "Iga, Iga, Iga!"  As the game clock strikes one-hour, Świątek extends her second set lead to 3-0.  The world #1 has arrived.  Hold Rybakina. Świątek serving 3-1.  Quickly goes down 0-40 thanks to Rybakina's clinical returns.  And as soon as the advantage grew, the lead has shrunk.  The second set is 3-2 with Rybakina serving to tie.  

Polish fans in the Australian bush, trying to reinvigorate their star while "Ryba" chants are starting to circulate Rod Laver Arena.  An opening fault allows Świątek to go up 0-15.  Rybakina aces the next point, 15-15.  40-15 Rybakina and Świątek is starting to express frustration on the court.  Regrouping, Iga wins an extended rally to extend the game 30-40.  However, Rybakina's execution is on such a high level.  3-3 in the second set.  When players are competing at such a high level in tennis, it's not enough to simply wear the lesser opponent down, waiting for the opposition to make a mistake, as Świątek has been so used to during her reign as world #1.  You have to attack early in the point and not allow the opposition to settle into a point.  

The world #1 calmly reacts to dropping three straight games by acing the first serve.  Her second, third, and forth serves are unreturnable.  Boom, boom, boom, boom.  4-3 Świątek.  Unphased.  Two unbelievable shots by both players in the first rally of the eighth game of the second set.  Iga is up 0-15 with a second serve opportunity.  Rybakina's pure ball striking overcomes the disadvantage to even the game 15-15.  30-30.  Eventually 4-4.  

Świątek has to hold serve.  After dropping the first point, Rybakina crashes the net.  Iga overpowers Elena to even the game at 15-15.  All of a sudden, its 15-40.  Rybakina has two breakpoint opportunities to serve for the match.  The world #1 makes it 30-40 after a world class winner.   Following it up with a firecracker serve that Rybakina can't keep in play.  Deuce.  Advantage Rybakina after stopping Świątekin her tracks twice.  Breakpoint #3, Iga hits a brilliant serve, and crashes the net after a fairly easy return by Rybakina.  Iga puts it right into the net.

4-5 Rybakina, serving for the match.  Rybakina finishes the job.  

Elena Rybakina defeats the world #1, Iga Świątek 6-4, 6-4.

Wrap Up

An incredible display of tennis.  The world #1 gets sent home by the reigning Wimbledon champion.  An inability to finish ultimately led to the failed campaign by the Pole.  Unable to finish the first two games of the first set ended up being crucial.  What could have been a 6-4 opening win, ended up being a 4-6 opening loss.  Iga started the second set up 3-0, and failed to hold serve on her last two attempts of the second set.  The inability to finish games was brought upon by a lack of a strong service game. Świątek won 57% of points on both her first and second serves.  A far too low percentage on the first serve.  This in part explains why she was broken four times in this match.  Iga had no service advantage compared to Rybakina's 80% win on first serves.  

Iga Świątek didn't play to her level, however, Elena Rybakina throughly outplayed and dominated the world #1.  Rybakina displayed a level of clinical ball striking that is needed to not only advance in, but win a Grand Slam title.  With 24 winners compared to Świątek's 15, Rybakina won the match.  Although surely disappointed, Świątek will be happy to start the clay-court season and defend her French Open title.  Having a chance to win three finals at Roland Garros in four years.  And with her current 5,885 point advantage, Świątek will remain #1 in the world for sometime to come.  Melbourne has survived this year's conquest, however, the Pole will return with a vengeance in 2024.  

The triumph of Rybakina sets up the first quarterfinal match against the 25-year old Jeļena Ostapenko.  The Lithuanian defeated the devastated 18-year old American Coco Gauff.  Two upsets.  Two sublime displays of tennis.  Two aggressive playstyles on hard court is always a treat to watch.

Quarterfinal Match #1:

#17-seeded Jeļena Ostapenko vs. #22-seeded Elena Rybakina