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Elena Rybakina harnesses power to continue title challenge at French Open

Deep into the second set of Elena Rybakina’s French Open second round match against Linda Noskova, a routine day on-court nearly became complicated. Having faced minimal problems throughout, Rybakina threw in a series of unforced errors on her serve while leading a set and 3-3. She quickly found herself down double break point.

Few players in the world today are as adept as Rybakina at navigating tough service games and emerging with a hold. Under pressure for the first time, the Kazakhstani found a couple of searing backhands and a couple of big serves, saving three break points in total. Rybakina held serve and then she broke immediately. Shortly after, she reached the third round with a 6-3, 6-3 win.

This season, the Wimbledon champion’s all-surface rise has been one of the most notable developments. After winning at Indian Wells and reaching finals at the Australian Open and Miami, she closed off a fortnight on slow, damp clay courts in Rome as the unlikely winner of the Italian Open. Rybakina is the first women’s player since Serena Williams in 2015 to simultaneously hold titles at WTA 1000 level and above on hard, clay and grass courts.

Her success is driven by her first serve, one of the most devastating shots in the sport. Rybakina is the WTA’s ace leader, averaging 7.9 aces per match, and her 73.9% of first serve points won places her second on the tour this year. For Noskova, the pressure of holding on to her own serve was immense.

Rybakina’s serve has long been a massive weapon but she continues to make small adjustments. This season, she made a small change to her service motion in search of a more consistent delivery: “It’s just trying to get more serves with the same motion, to get this power and just the

Read more on theguardian.com