Elena Rybakina said she “fought until the end” despite the Cancun conditions not being the best throughout the week. On Friday, 24-year-old Rybakina’s WTA Finals debut came to an end after Aryna Sabalenka handed the Kazakh a 6-2 3-6 6-3 loss.
The match started on Thursday but finished on Friday due to a rain delay. Rybakina and Sabalenka were playing for the last semifinal spot. Earlier in the week, Rybakina complained about the court conditions in Cancun and she also wasn’t the happiest with the tricky Cancun weather conditions.
“Maybe it wasn’t the best conditions, but I know I fought until the end. I am very grateful to all the fans who supported us throughout the week. The public here is really very special,” Rybakina said after her WTA Finals exit.
Rybakina’s WTA Finals run ends with a loss to Sabalenka
On Thursday, Sabalenka made a great start to the match against Rybakina as the Belarusian broke the Kazakh in the first and fifth games to open an early 4-1 lead before serving out for the first set in the eighth game.
After winning the first set, Sabalenka also broke Rybakina in the third game of the second set. Down by a set and a break, Rybakina responded by breaking Sabalenka in the fourth and eighth games for a 5-3 lead. The match was then interrupted by rain.
When the match continued on Friday, Rybakina served out for the second set. In the third set, Sabalenka broke Rybakina in the fourth game for a 3-1 lead but the Kazakh broke back in the following game. However, Sabalenka kept her focus and broke Rybakina again in the sixth game for a 4-2 lead.
In the ninth game – when Sabalenka was serving for the match – Rybakina missed out on five break points before Sabalenka realized her fourth match point. “Was a really tough battle in really tough conditions. I’m super happy that I was able to get this win no matter what,” Sabalenka said after beating Rybakina in the key WTA Finals match.