Elena Rybakina has continued her outstanding form at the start of the clay season as the fourth-seeded Kazakh ousted 72nd-ranked Mayar Sherif 6-1 6-4 in the Madrid third round.
Rybakina, who won four matches en route to winning Stuttgart last year, is now on a six-match winning streak after also winning her opening two matches at a WTA 1000 tournament in Madrid.
Going into the match, Rybakina was considered the big favorite. And against Sherif, Rybakina’s win was never in doubt as the 2022 Wimbledon champion controlled the match from the start until the end.
For a place in the Madrid quarterfinal, Rybakina will be playing against 18-year-old Czech teenager Sara Bejlek. When Rybakina and Bejlek meet, it will be their first meeting.
How Rybakina defeated Sherif?
Early in the first set, Rybakina and Sherif played a marathon game as the Kazakh claimed an early break after converting her seventh break point in the second game.
Up by a break, Rybakina saved a break point in the third game before breaking Sherif again in the following game to go up by a double break. In the sixth game, Sherif finally got on the board but Rybakina remained unfazed, routinely serving out for the first set in the seventh…
