Elena Rybakina survived a thriller for a second consecutive day as the No. 1 seed edged out Ons Jabeur 6-2 4-6 7-6 (4) to progress into the Abu Dhabi semifinal.
At the start of the match, it was all the Kazakh, who claimed breaks in the second and eighth games to routinely win the first set.
After easily losing the opener, the Tunisian bounced back by earning her first two breaks in the second set to open a comfortable 5-1 lead.
While Rybakina managed to get one break back, she couldn’t complete her comeback as Jabeur served out for a decider in the 10th game.
Tied to one set apiece, the defending champion made the first move in the third set after registering a break in the sixth game for a 4-2 lead – but her lead was short-lived as the former world No. 2 instantly got the break back and ultimately managed to force a tie-break.
After Jabeur opened a 4-2 lead in the tie-break, she appeared to be heading toward completing a big comeback win.
But then, Rybakina won five points in a row to overturn the deficit and book a semifinal ticket.
A day earlier, the No. 1 seed also needed three sets to beat qualifier Katie Volynets 2-6 6-4 6-4.
Rybakina plays next against Belinda Bencic
Next up for the Kazakh will be Swiss…
