Things are looking up for Elena Rybakina after she endured tough times over the last couple of months due to poor scheduling and a lack of consistency on the part of WTA. But, that hasn’t stopped her from expressing herself well on the court, as she has had a stellar run in the China Open, even going on to defeat world number 1, Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinals.
The Kazakh has quite a good fanbase in China, and people have been thronging to the courts to watch her practice. Elena said she was grateful for the support and affection, they had showered on her. The interviewer asked her what Chinese word, she would be interested to learn. Her reply, “Thank you to all my fans“, which she repeated after the interviewer, though in a broken manner.
Elena Rybakina speaking some Chinese in Beijing.
She wanted to learn how to say “Thank you to all my fans” 🥹🥰
(Thank you to @FedererFriends for posting this video)
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) October 6, 2023
Elena went on to add that, she knew that the Chinese people liked her from 2019 when she participated in the event. But it was a surprise to her to see so many people following her, even after the China Open‘s brief hiatus from the tour due to COVID-19 and silence over Peng Shuai’s disappearance. She was gracious in accepting their love and affection.
Her fans weren’t to be left too far behind, as they started to go gaga over her Chinese pronunciation on social media. They felt she was very cute doing that, and they expressed their admiration commendably. Some fans chose to appreciate the baby girl sort of image she exhibits.
she’s so cute ffs https://t.co/krMn5NrZGm
— ً (@sharmcns) October 6, 2023
She is soooo babygirlll 🥹❤️
— 🎾 Igatek 🎾 (@1g4Sw1atek) October 6, 2023
Thus, one certain thing is that Elena Rybakina is starting to become the darling of the masses, at least as far as the Chinese audience is concerned. Provided she lives up to the promise she exhibits in her game, she will surely become a heartthrob among fans worldwide.
Liudmila Samsonova upsets Elena Rybakina after her win over world no.1 Aryna Sabalenka at China Open
In the quarterfinal against Aryna Sabalenka, Rybakina came out all guns blazing, going for her shots. Her serve was top-notch and she showed great stamina to break Sabalenka early. With Elena nailing her shots, errors crept into Sabalenka’s game. This was evident from the fact that the Kazakh didn’t face a single break point in the second set, thus closing out the match, 7-5,6-2.
But the joy of the triumph was to be short-lived, as Rybakina went down to Liudmila Samsonova in straight sets in the semi-finals. Samsonova served well throughout the match and showed variety whenever it was needed. This kept catching Rybakina off-guard, and the consistent depth in her groundstrokes didn’t let Elena display her powerful shot-making prowess.
Even after registering a 7-6,6-3 victory, Liudmila Samsonova preferred to stay grounded when she was asked about the winning streak she is maintaining against Elena Rybakina. She politely replied, “Every time it’s a battle with Lena. 3-0 doesn’t mean anything for me…..” Acknowledging that Rybakina is a champion, she chose to put it down to fascination and the joy of merely being there to compete.
Liudmila Samsonova had kind words for Elena Rybakina:
“Every time it’s a battle with Lena. 3-0 doesn’t mean anything for me. She’s a champion. Every time, we had so many really close battles. It’s unbelievable to be here.” ❤️ pic.twitter.com/X0FvMwkXvw
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) October 7, 2023
Though Elena Rybakina lost out in the semi-finals, it is pretty clear that she has what it takes to remain at the top consistently. That is quite evident from the ease with which she is closing out games, even against higher-ranked opponents. Provided she gets her act together, she could go on to become a crowd favorite with her game, as well as with her cherished behavior off the court.
