The rare appearance of the sun at this year’s Wimbledon Championships did little to delay Elena Rybakina’s swift dispatch of Elina Svitolina, securing a 6-3, 6-2 victory in their quarter-final clash on Centre Court.
Over the past five days, the grass court major had taken on the feel of an indoor tournament, with matches on the main showcourts occurring under cover. But on Wednesday, under a clear blue sky and with the retractable roof finally open, spectators filled the 15,000-seat arena, eager for a long and thrilling contest.
Fans had pinned their hopes on the Rybakina-Svitolina duel, especially since Novak Djokovic’s quarter-final against Alex de Minaur was canceled after the Australian withdrew with a hip injury, granting Djokovic a walkover.
However, what the audience received for their £200 ($260) Centre Court tickets was merely one hour and one minute of singles action.
For Rybakina, the priority was clear: secure the win swiftly and move closer to capturing the Venus Rosewater Dish for the second time in three years.
“Really pleased with the way I played today. Thank you so much, guys, for coming and supporting us,” Rybakina expressed to the crowd, who may have felt shortchanged despite a mixed doubles match and a legends’ match being added to the schedule.
“It’s always tough to play against Elina, she’s a great player, great fighter. No matter the score, it is not as easy as it might look,” Rybakina added. “I want to win again. It’s getting closer … I have such amazing memories from 2022 and I’m just enjoying every time I step on the court, especially when I play good.”
Rybakina, now set to face 2021 French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova for a spot in Saturday’s final, remained unfazed by the presence of Britain’s Queen Camilla, who was watching from the front row of the Royal Box. “Oh, wow, I didn’t even see (her). That’s amazing,” she remarked post-match.
This focused determination enabled Rybakina to recover from dropping her opening service game and deliver a commanding performance, extending her perfect grasscourt record against Svitolina to 2-0.
From 3-3 in the first set, Rybakina won five consecutive games, while Svitolina repeatedly sought inspiration from her husband Gael Monfils in the players’ box.
Last year, Svitolina had enchanted Wimbledon by reaching the semi-finals just eight months after the birth of her daughter Skai. This year, there would be no repeat of that magic. Rybakina’s dominant performance left the crowd struggling to engage with either player or rally behind underdog Svitolina.
The Russian-born Kazakh, the only former women’s champion left in the draw, sealed the first set with a 115mph ace and closed the match with her seventh ace, completing a decisive victory.
“It was extremely tough today. I tried everything that was in my power today. Nothing really was working so much. She didn’t really let me into the match,” a dejected Svitolina admitted. “When the opponent is striking the ball that big, everything goes in. Serve goes really quick. Lots of aces. It’s tough to do anything.”
