Elena Rybakina controlled most exchanges and converted five out of seven break points to confidently beat Serena Williams 6-3 7-5 and reach the quarterfinals of Roland Garros.
The 21st-seeded Rybakina was the first to take charge with a 3-1 lead and even though Williams got a break back, the Kazakh kept her cool and earned another break to go 5-3 up before converting her fourth set point in the following game.
In the second set, Rybakina continued to dictate the match. The seventh-seeded Williams was lagging behind, but catching up, and at one moment it looked like the experienced American could take over the momentum. As Rybakina broke Williams for a 4-3 lead and found herself just two games away from the big victory, fear seemed to have set it, the emotion Williams can always smell in her opponents and benefit from it in crucial moments.
However, Rybakina regrouped after being broken in the eighth game of the second set. Williams’ first and only double fault in the match handed Rybakina a triple match point. The 21-year-old readily used her opportunity to go 6-5 up and soon after earned her first appearance in the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam.
In the final eight, Rybakina will face seed No.31 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who defeated Victoria Azarenka earlier on Sunday.
