Rybakina comes through tough Collins clash to reach Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open quarter-finals

As the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open top seed, Elena Rybakina could be forgiven for feeling somewhat aggrieved at facing such a challenging opponent in her opening match on Thursday.

Danielle Collins may have entered the tournament as a qualifier, but she was no ordinary qualifier. The experienced American reached a career-high No 7 in the world rankings just 18 months ago and contested the Australian Open final in 2022.

She was also far more match-ready than Rybakina; while the Kazakh world No 5 had to wait four days to play her first match at Zayed Sports City – the result of being one of the top-four seeds to receive first-round byes – Collins had already played three times in four days, allowing her ample opportunity to adjust to the conditions.

It was no surprise, then, that Rybakina was forced to grind and dig deep, coming back from a set and a break down to secure a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory on Stadium Court.

The 2022 Wimbledon champion will face Cristina Bucsa for a place in the semi-finals after the Spaniard defeated British qualifier Heather Watson 7-6, 7-5 in the last match of the day.

“I’m happy that I managed to win, it was a tough battle. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, especially being the first match against such a good player,” Rybakina, 24, said. “She already had a couple of matches on this court, so really happy to win and go through to the next round.”

There was little between the two players in a closely contested opening set, with Collins earning the only break in the fifth game. Rybakina had her chance to pull level when the American was serving for the set but was unable to convert either break point.

Collins continued in the ascendancy at the start of the second set, breaking immediately for a 1-0 lead,