Rybakina, Shnaider set first hard-court showdown in Cincinnati

Four months ago, Elena Rybakina and Diana Shnaider had their first head-to-head meeting when they faced off in the Round of 16 of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.

Their first hard-court clash will come in the Round of 16 again -- this time, at the Cincinnati Open after both won their third-round matches in straight sets on Monday against Magdalena Frech and Maja Chwalinska, respectively.

Both Rybakina and Shnaider rallied from deficits in their victories. Frech had a 2-0 lead in the opening set, and later, served for the second set at 5-4. Shnaider, meanwhile, trailed the Roland Garros finalist 4-1 set two before winning four straight games, and was two points away from being taken the distance at 6-5.

Rybakina feels 'relief' after stop-start day

On an afternoon that was plagued by rain, Rybakina acknowledged that she had one eye on looming clouds as she struggled to close out Frech.

The players were forced off court twice throughout 2 hours of play, first after nine games of the first set and again in the seventh game of the second.

"I saw the clouds, but I was trying not to rush because it never ends good when you rush," Rybakina said afterwards, saying that she felt relieved to win the last six points of the tiebreak.

"It was a crazy day, to be honest, coming out every time into clouds and humidity," Rybakina added. "I felt that I was on top of the ball in the tiebreak, but it was a difficult one.

"I had the opportunities on the three match points but when you are tired it's difficult to keep concentration. I'm happy the tiebreak went my way, I just tried to win as many points as I could."

More to come...

Click here to read article