Rybakina Dominates Andreescu at Mutua Madrid Open

MADRID, Spain — In a highly anticipated clash of Grand Slam champions, No. 10 seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan defeated Canada’s Bianca Andreescu 6-3, 6-2 on Friday night at the Mutua Madrid Open‘s Manolo Santana Stadium. The match marked their first meeting in over two years, and Rybakina maintained her perfect record against Andreescu, improving to 3-0 with all sets won at 6-0.

Rybakina, the reigning Wimbledon champion, finished the match in just 1 hour and 17 minutes. After the match, she expressed relief, stating, “First matches are always tough, and against Bianca it’s always difficult. Super happy that I managed to win. Still not at my best, of course, first match on clay, but super happy to be back and excited for the next match.”

This victory comes as Rybakina recently fell out of the Top 10 in the PIF WTA Rankings for the first time since January 2023 and is currently ranked No. 11. She is facing pressure as she defends 390 points from her semifinal run last year in Madrid. Despite this, Rybakina’s record on clay has been impressive in 2024, previously winning Stuttgart and reaching both the Madrid semifinals and Roland Garros quarterfinals.

Rybakina’s powerful serve was crucial, as she faced only three break points, all in the second set, successfully swatting them away. “We know each other well, and she is just coming back from injuries,” Rybakina commented. “I was trying to focus on myself and on the serve, and tried to stay aggressive.”

In contrast, Andreescu, the 2019 US Open champion, managed to secure her first tour win since October, defeating Top 50 player McCartney Kessler in the first round. She will continue to compete during the clay season, entering both Rome and Roland Garros under her special injury ranking.

Rybakina’s next challenge is a third-round matchup against Elina Svitolina, the No. 17 seed from Ukraine, who just won her 18th career title in Rouen. The two have met five times previously, with Rybakina holding a narrow lead of 3-2, including a split on clay.