MADRID, Spain (Reuters) – Fourth seed Elena Rybakina rallied from a set down to beat fellow Kazakhstani Yulia Putintseva 4-6 7-6(4) 7-5 in a two-hour and 48-minute battle as she advanced to her first Madrid Open semi-final on Wednesday.
The 50th-ranked Putintseva looked on course to cause an upset as she put on a near-flawless display to take the opening set in 45 minutes, but Rybakina managed to regain her composure and saved two match points at 5-2 down in the final set.
“It was really tough. I knew it wouldn’t be easy. I was hoping I’d start better… it wasn’t easy always coming back,” Rybakina said.
“At 2-5, I already left the emotions and frustration and just kept playing. The momentum shifted. Yulia started to get a bit more angry and some mistakes helped me. I just kept on playing.
“I’m really happy.”
After an underwhelming start, Rybakina stepped up a gear to level the contest by taking a tight second set, which was ultimately settled in a tiebreak where she made the most of her opportunities, securing it with a high backhand volley.
This is the 24-year-old’s first win against Putintseva, who had won their previous two encounters.
Having reached the Madrid quarters for the first time in her career after beating teenage qualifier Sara Bejlek 6-1 6-3 on Monday, up next for Rybakina is world number two Aryna Sabalenka or 17-year-old Russian sensation Mirra Andreeva, who face off later on Wednesday.
“We’ll see who wins. If it’s Aryna… she’s a great champion. It’ll be a tough battle like we always have,” Rybakina said.
“If it’s Mirra, she’s young and she has nothing to lose. These kinds of players are very dangerous. You never know what to expect.
“I’m looking forward to it and hopefully I can recover.”
(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
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