World No. 3 Elena Rybakina Knocked Out Of Australian Open, Loses To Anna Blinkova
Unseeded Russian Anna Blinkova dumped world number three Elena Rybakina out of the Australian Open on Thursday following the longest tie-break in a singles match in Grand Slam history. Blinkova, ranked 57, won the first set of the second-round match 6-4 and last year's finalist Rybakina hit back to win the second by the same scoreline. But the match hinged on a breathtaking tie-break that Blinkova won 22-20, which lasted more than 31 minutes. It surpassed the previous longest tie-break of 38 points, according to the International Tennis Federation. The Russian served for victory in the 12th game of the deciding set, missing two match points, but that was only the start of the drama on Rod Laver Arena.
