Elena Rybakina
Elena Andreyevna Rybakina is a Russian–born Kazakh professional tennis player who has won two singles titles on the WTA Tour. She has a career-high singles ranking of world No. 17.
Rybakina won her first WTA title in Bucharest, Romania in July 2019 at the age of 20, first cracked the top 20 in February 2020 and rose to prominence at the 2020 Dubai Tennis Championships by recording her first top 5 victory against world No. 3 Karolína Plíšková and defeating 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin.
Early life and background
Elena Rybakina was born on June 17, 1999 in Moscow. At five, her father, who was engaged in various sports, brought her to tennis. In 2016, Rybakina began her professional career.From 2013 to 2018, Rybakina represented Russia, then she changed her nationality to represent Kazakhstan.
Junior career
Rybakina is a former world No. 3 junior. She reached the semifinals of the junior girl's singles event at the Australian Open and Roland Garros in 2017. She is also quarterfinalist of the junior girl's singles event at the US Open, also in 2017. As junior, she had 32–11 record.Professional career
2014–17: ITF debut
Rybakina began playing on the ITF Women's Circuit in December 2014 at the age of 15. She reached her first singles final at $10K Antalya, Turkey in November 2015, where she lost to Ekaterine Gorgodze.2017: WTA debut, first ITF singles and doubles titles
In October 2017, Rybakina made her WTA debut at the Kremlin Cup, but she was defeated in the round by Irina-Camelia Begu.On the ITF, she won her first single title at the $15K Kazan, Russia in March 2018, defeating Russian player Daria Nazarkina in straight sets, and she won her first double title at the $15K Istanbul, Turkey in April 2017 with Russian Ekaterina Kazionova.
2018: First top 10 win, playing for Kazakhstan
At the 2018 St. Petersburg Ladies' Trophy, Rybakina recorded her first WTA main-draw win against Timea Bacsinszky, then she defeated world No. 7, Caroline Garcia. In the quarterfinals, Rybakina lost to Julia Görges. In June 2018, she chose to represent Kazakhstan.2019: First WTA title, debut at the top 50
In 2019, Rybakina won her first WTA title at the Bucharest Open at the age of 20, playing only her seventh tournament main draw; she beat Patricia Maria Țig in the final. The win took her into the top 70 in the WTA Rankings. On September 16, 2019 she made debut within the top 50.2020: First Grand Slam win, debut at the top 20
Rybakina started the new season by reaching the final in Shenzhen, where she lost to Ekaterina Alexandrova. The following week, she won her second WTA title in Hobart, defeating Zhang Shuai. At the Australian Open, Rybakina, as 29th seed, had her first Grand Slam win. She beat Bernarda Pera and Greet Minnen, but then lost to world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty. After the St. Petersburg Ladies' Trophy, where she lost in the final to Kiki Bertens, she reached the top 20 in the WTA rankings. At the Dubai Tennis Championships, Rybakina scored her first top 5 win by defeating world No. 3 Karolína Plíšková. In the first round she upset the 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin before reaching her fourth final of the 2020 season where she lost to Simona Halep. After defeating Sorana Cîrstea and Alison Van Uytvanck in close three set matches, Rybakina withdrew from Doha prior to her third round match against Barty due to injury.Playing style
Rybakina is known for her aggressive game which is played mostly from the baseline. Her groundstrokes are powerful from both wings, and her power has been described as "effortless" by some commentators. She has a strong, powerful, and accurate serve which is capable of reaching 115 mph, and, so far in 2020, she has led the WTA tour in the number of aces served, at 144 in 25 matches, up to 9 March 2020. She employs a 'first-strike' style of game, choosing to finish points quickly. She possesses exceptional variety, being capable of incorporating drop shots and sliced backhands into points whilst still playing aggressively, is comfortable at the net and is an adept volleyer, and has been praised for her intelligent shot selection, point construction, and patience, not making as many unforced errors as other players with a similarly aggressive game. Since 2019, she has won the vast majority of three set matches she has participated in, having won 90% of such matches in 2020, and has been noted for her tenacity and competitive spirit. Rybakina's major weakness is her second serve, which typically averages 84 mph, but does not possess much slice, topspin, or kick, rendering it susceptible to attack.Endorsements
As of 2020, Rybakina is sponsored by Adidas for clothing and shoes, and by Yonex for rackets. Previously, she was endorsed by Nike for apparel and shoes.Performance timelines
- Sourced from WTA
Singles
Current through the suspension of the 2020 WTA Tour.Doubles
Current through the suspension of the 2020 WTA Tour.Notes
* 2020 Wimbledon Championships was cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic.* 2020 Summer Olympics are postponed to 2021.* 2020 Indian Wells Open, Miami Open, Madrid Open, Italian Open and Canadian Open are postponed due to coronavirus pandemic.- The first Premier 5 event of the year has switched back and forth between the Dubai Tennis Championships and the Qatar Open since 2009. Dubai was classified as a Premier 5 event from 2009–2011 before being succeeded by Doha for the 2012–2014 period. In 2015, Dubai regained its Premier 5 status while Doha was demoted to Premier status. The two tournaments have since alternated status every year.
- Rybakina withdraw from 2020 Qatar Total Open before third-round match against Ashleigh Barty.
- Singles: 2016: WTA Ranking–616.
- Doubles: 2016: WTA Ranking–1166.
- Doubles partner: 1 Natela Dzalamidze 2 Zarina Diyas.
WTA career finals
Singles: 6 (2 titles, 4 runner-ups)
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
| Win | 1–0 | 2019 Bucharest Open – Singles| | Bucharest Open, Romania | International | Clay |  Patricia Maria Țig | 6–2, 6–0 |
| Loss | 1–1 | 2019 Jiangxi International Women's Tennis Open – Singles| | Jiangxi Open, China | International | Hard |  Rebecca Peterson | 2–6, 0–6 |
| Loss | 1–2 | Jan 2020 | Shenzhen Open, China | International | Hard |  Ekaterina Alexandrova | 2–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 2–2 | 2020 Hobart International – Singles| | Hobart International, Australia | International | Hard |  Zhang Shuai | 7–6, 6–3 |
| Loss | 2–3 | 2020 St. Petersburg Ladies' Trophy – Singles| | St. Petersburg Ladies' Trophy, Russia | Premier | Hard |  Kiki Bertens | 1–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 2–4 | 2020 Dubai Tennis Championships – Women's Singles| | Dubai Championships, United Arab Emirates | Premier | Hard | Simona Halep | 6–3, 3–6, 6–7 |
ITF Circuit finals
Singles: 9 (4 titles, 5 runner–ups)
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
| Loss | 0–1 | Nov 2015 | ITF Antalya, Turkey | 10,000 | Clay |  Ekaterine Gorgodze | 5–7, 7–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 0–2 | Nov 2016 | ITF Helsinki, Finland | 10,000 | Hard |  Karen Barritza | 3–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 0–3 | Jun 2017 | ITF Fergana, Uzbekistan | 25,000 | Hard |  Sabina Sharipova | 4–6, 6–7 |
| Win | 1–3 | Mar 2018 | ITF Kazan, Russia | 15,000 | Hard | Daria Nazarkina | 6–4, 7–6 |
| Loss | 1–4 | Apr 2018 | Lale Cup, Turkey | 60,000 | Hard | Sabina Sharipova | 6–7, 4–6 |
| Loss | 1–5 | Jan 2019 | Playford International, Australia | 25,000 | Hard | Anna Kalinskaya | 4–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 2–5 | Feb 2019 | Launceston International, Australia | 60,000 | Hard | Irina Khromacheva | 7–5, 3–3 ret. |
| Win | 3–5 | Mar 2019 | ITF Moscow, Russia | 25,000 | Hard |  Ganna Poznikhirenko | 7–5, 6–0 |
| Win | 4–5 | Mar 2019 | ITF Kazan, Russia | 25,000+H | Hard |  Urszula Radwańska | 6–2, 6–3 |
Doubles: 4 (4 titles)
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
| Win | 1–0 | Apr 2017 | ITF Istanbul, Turkey | 15,000 | Hard | Ekaterina Kazionova |  Eleni Daniilidou  Vlada Ekshibarova | 6–1, 6–3 |
| Win | 2–0 | May 2017 | ITF Antalya, Turkey | 15,000 | Clay | Amina Anshba | Daria Nazarkina Anna Ukolova | 7–5, 4–6, |
| Win | 3–0 | Mar 2018 | ITF Kazan, Russia | 15,000 | Hard | Alena Fomina | Anastasia Frolova Ksenia Lykina | 6–4, 1–6, |
| Win | 4–0 | Mar 2019 | ITF Moscow, Russia | 25,000 | Hard | Sofya Lansere | Ganna Poznikhirenko  Vivian Heisen | 1–6, 6–3, |
ITF Junior Circuit finals
Singles: 9 (6 titles, 3 runner-ups)
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
| Win | 1–0 | ITF Almetievsk, Russia | G3 | Hard | Sofiya Esterman | 6–3, 6–2 | |
| Loss | 1–1 | ITF Moscow, Russia | G2 | Clay | Anna Blinkova | 1–6, 2–6 | |
| Win | 2–1 | ITF Novokuznetsk, Russia | G3 | Carpet | Daria Kruzhkova | 7–6, 6–3 | |
| Loss | 2–2 | ITF Bratislava, Slovakia | G2 | Carpet |  Markéta Vondroušová | 4–6, 7–6, 1–6 | |
| Loss | 2–3 | ITF Charleroi, Belgium | G1 | Clay | Katharina Hobgarski | 1–6, 6–4, 2–6 | |
| Win | 3–3 | ITF Moscow, Russia | G2 | Clay |  Nika Shytkouskaya | 6–3, 6–0 | |
| Win | 4–3 | ITF Kazan, Russia | G1 | Hard | Valeriya Zeleva | 6–2, 6–4 | |
| Win | 5–3 | ITF Umag, Croatia | G1 | Clay | Katarina Zavatska | 6–2, 5–7, 7–6 | |
| Win | 6–3 | ITF Milan, Italy | GA | Clay | Iga Świątek | 1–6, 7–6, 6–3 |
Doubles: 8 (3 titles, 5 runner-ups)
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
| Loss | 0–1 | ITF Istanbul, Turkey | G4 | Hard | Valeriya Yushchenko |  Ayla Aksu Muge Topsel | 1–6, 5–7 | |
| Win | 1–1 | ITF Almaty, Kazakhstan | G3 | Clay | Amina Anshba | Elisabeth Lyukshinova Anna Ureke | 7–5, 7–6 | |
| Loss | 1–2 | ITF Novokuznetsk, Russia | G3 | Carpet | Valeriya Deminova | Daria Kruzhkova Tatiana Nikolaeva | 3–6, 2–6 | |
| Loss | 1–3 | ITF Siauliai, Lithuania | G2 | Hard | Olesya Pervushina | Nina Kruijer Liza Lebedzeva | 6–3, 3–6, | |
| Win | 2–3 | ITF Moscow, Russia | G2 | Clay | Maria Galiy | Sofiya Esterman Anastasia Gasanova | 6–2, 1–6, | |
| Loss | 2–4 | ITF Milan, Italy | GA | Clay | Amina Anshba | Olesya Pervushina Anastasia Potapova | 4–6, 1–6 | |
| Win | 3–4 | ITF Repentigny, Canada | G1 | Hard |  Malene Helgø | Wang Xiyu Zheng Wushuang | 7–6, 6–4 | |
| Loss | 3–5 | ITF Beaulieu-sur-Mer, France | G1 | Clay |  Emily Appleton | Ali Collins Jule Niemeier | 6–7, 3–6 |
WTA ranking
WTA Tour career earnings
Career Grand Slam statistics
Grand Slam tournament seedings
The tournaments won by Rybakina are in boldface, and advanced into finals by Rybakina are in italics.| Year | Australian Open | French Open | Wimbledon | US Open |
| 2018 | Did not play | Did not play | Did not play | Did Not Qualify |
| 2019 | Did Not Qualify | Not seeded | Did Not Qualify | Not seeded |
| 2020 | 29th | Not Held |