Rybakina Cruises Past Bouzas Maneiro Into Third Round

Elena Rybakina produced a commanding display on Thursday, defeating Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-2, 6-4 to reach the third round of the U.S. Open.

The World No. 2 arrived in New York with hopes of claiming her third Grand Slam title and moving closer to the top of the WTA rankings. She showed her quality during the final session at Louis Armstrong Stadium, quickly taking control of the contest.

Rybakina raced into a 3-0 lead and maintained her pressure throughout the opening set. Her clean hitting helped her wrap up the first set in just 30 minutes, leaving Bouzas Maneiro with little room to respond.

The Kazakh star continued in the same fashion at the start of the second set. She won three of the opening four games and appeared to be heading towards another straightforward finish.

However, Bouzas Maneiro refused to surrender. Rybakina lost her serve for the first time in the tournament while attempting to serve for the match. The Spaniard’s determination briefly gave her hope of extending the contest.

Rybakina quickly recovered her composure. She broke Bouzas Maneiro in the following game to complete the victory and book her place in the U.S. Open third round.

“I’m really happy ‌with this win today, in the second set she started to go for her shots but I’m happy I managed to close it out,” Rybakina said on court.

The victory also eased concerns about Rybakina’s fitness after she retired from the Cincinnati Open before the U.S. Open.

“It’s true it wasn’t perfect ⁠preparation at all,” Rybakina said. “I was a bit upset watching everybody practice preparing for the ‌tournament and I was just doing all possible recovery and gym. I’m super happy to be here.”

Rybakina will next face Yuliia Starodubtseva, who defeated 32nd seed Maria Sakkari after completing a comeback.

Can Rybakina continue this impressive run and challenge for the U.S. Open title?