Elena Rybakina claimed her eighth career title as she beat Marta Kostyuk 6-2 6-2 in the Stuttgart Open; Iga Swiatek becomes the ninth woman in history of the WTA rankings to hold the No 1 spot for 100 weeks or longer; watch the Madrid Open live on Sky Sports next week
Monday 22 April 2024 15:55, UK
After claiming her third title of the season, Elena Rybakina has set her sights on winning the French Open next month, believing she can “win a Grand Slam on any surface”.
Earlier this year, Rybakina won the Brisbane International and the Abu Dhabi Open as well as reaching the final in Doha and Miami, but despite her continued success the 24-year-old has slipped under the radar.
The world No 4 stormed past Marta Kostyuk 6-2 6-2 to win the Stuttgart Open on Sunday, collecting her eighth career title, and now has her sights set on the Madrid Open, which is live on Sky Sports throughout next week.
"I'm really happy with all the matches I played here throughout the week, especially in the final. [It] was very solid from me," Rybakina said.
"I think just the consistency, of course, and how I'm managing to play all these tournaments until the end, because it's really tough with the schedule which we have, with all the jet-lags and changes of the surface.
"It's been a lot of matches, and I'm happy that for now I'm managing to fight through all these tough matches and be able to be in the finals.
"I always believe in myself, of course, but it not only depends on me. There are a lot of great players, tough opponents.
"But I know if I feel fresh, if I'm physically ready, healthy, I'm playing my game, of course I have all the chances to win a Grand Slam on any surface."
As the 'big four' in women's tennis - Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Rybakina and Coco Gauff - continue to dominate, it's easy to get lost in the mix, especially with Swiatek firmly keeping hold of the reigns.
It was announced on Monday that Swiatek has held the No 1 position for 100 weeks, becoming the ninth woman in history to top the WTA rankings for that long or more.
Swiatek joins the elite club alongside Steffi Graf (377), Martina Navratilova (332), Serena Williams (319), Chris Evert (260), Martina Hingis (209), Monica Seles (178), Ashleigh Barty (121) and Justine Henin (117).
The 22-year-old briefly lost the top spot to Sabalenka after her surprise fourth-round exit at the US Open last September, but was back at the top of the rankings following her WTA Finals triumph in November.
With competition being so fierce at the top it is more understandable how players as good as Rybakina could slip under the radar.
In 2022, Rybakina put on one of her best Grand Slam performances to win the Wimbledon title, knocking out Simona Halep in the semi-finals and beating Ons Jabeur 3-6 6-2 6-2 in the final.
Rybakina also reached the 2023 Australian Open final where she lost to Sabalenka 4-6 6-3 6-4.
Although Rybakina suffered a second-round exit at the Australian Open this year losing to Anna Blinkova 6-4 4-6 7-6 (20), the match did set a new record for the longest ever women’s singles tiebreak in a Grand Slam.
Her first title came in 2019 when she won the Bucharest Open before winning the Hobart Open aged just 20 and then her third title at Wimbledon.
She followed that up by winning at the Indian Wells in March 2023 and the Italian Open two months later.
The 24-year-old beat Sabalenka for the Brisbane International and then defeated Daria Kasatkina 6-1 6-4 for the Abu Dhabi Open, before going on to win her most recent title in Stuttgart.
Batting through the jet-lag Rybakina is already looking ahead to the Madrid Open where she hopes to wrap up another victory.
Rybakina will face either a qualifier or Italian Lucia Bronzetti in her Madrid opener, and could then meet Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk in a rematch of the Stuttgart final in the last 32.
Anna Kalinskaya beat Rybakina in last year's Madrid Open final, coming from behind to win in three sets, and the pair are on course to meet in Round 4 this year.
China's Zheng Qinwen is the highest-ranked player Rybakina could meet in the quarter-finals, but the youngster has only won five matches since reaching the Australian Open final earlier this year. As such, Ukraine's Anhelina Kalinina is potentially a more likely opponent, and faced Rybakina in the Italian Open final last year - Rybakina won after Kalinina withdrew injured.
The USA's Danielle Collins is currently on a 13-game winning run, and would meet Rybakina in the semi-finals should both progress that far. Collins defeated Rybakina in the Miami Open final last month.
Defending Madrid Open champion Aryna Sabalenka is also on this side of the draw, and will likely meet Collins in Round 4, so is another potential semi-final opponent for Rybakina. Sabalenka's form has struggled since January's Australian Open, though.
World No 1 Iga Swiatek is Rybakina's most likely opponent in the final, and the two are building a superb rivalry - Rybakina currently holds a positive 4-2 record vs the Polish star.
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