By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Tuesday July 2, 2024
The former champion dropped three of the first four games before clicking into high gear and racing to victory on Day 2.
Photo Source: TTV
One of the most formidable forces in the women’s game – and on Wimbledon’s grass – is up and running at these Championships.
Fourth-seeded Elena Rybakina, nestled into Iga Swiatek’s top half of the draw, shook off an early hiccup and cruised to a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Romania’s Elena-Gabriela Ruse in 70 minutes to book a second-round clash with Germany’s Laura Siegemund.
After dropping three of the first four games on No.1 Court, Rybakina took over, winning 11 of the final 12 games to improve to 15-2 lifetime at Wimbledon.
“It’s a really special place,” 2022 wimbledon champion Rybakina told the crowd. “It’s always nice to be back – it feels like I played here yesterday to be honest, the year passes so quick and it’s amazing to be back for sure.”
Rybakina won 22 of 24 first-serve points and cracked 16 winners, while Ruse hit just 11 winners against 25 unforced errors.
Pegula on Point
American Jessica Pegula, the No.5 seed, was also demonstrative on Day 2. She pushed past Ashlyn Krueger 6-2, 6-0 in just 49 minutes in the first match on No.2 Court.
Pegula, fresh off her first career grass title at Berlin, was a quarterfinalist last year at Wimbledon (she fell to eventual champion Marketa Vondrousova). She will face China’s Wang Xinyu in the second round.