Victoria Mboko looked more like the player who won the National Bank Open title this week in Tokyo, but she could not replicate her success against Elena Rybakina. The former Wimbledon champion tagged the teen back for their semifinal clash in Montreal on Friday in the Toray Pan Pacific Open quarter-finals in straight sets.
Rybakina got off to a quick start in the quarter-final and used her mighty serve to keep the Canadian at bay. Just a couple of points ended up being the difference but the world No. 7's clutch play earned her a 6-3, 7-6(4) win..
It was the third meeting this year between Rybakina and Mboko, with the Kazakhstani taking two of three.
The serve was key for Rybakina in this match. She won 79 per cent of her first serve points and delivered five aces. She also saved the only two break points she faced. While Mboko was even stronger than her opponent on her first serve, putting 74 per cent in play and winning 83 per cent of those points, she struggled mightily on her second serve, only winning three of 17 points.
Mboko put Rybakina under pressure in the opening game of the match but paid the price for failing to convert a break-point chance. In her opening service game, the Canadian fell behind 15-40 and double-faulted on the second break point to give away what ended up being the only break of the match.
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The returners were unable to apply much pressure the rest of the way in the first set. There were no more break points for either woman as Rybakina rode that early break to a one-set lead.
In the second set, the Kazakhstani found another gear on serve. She won her first 12 service points in a row and through her first five service games, she lost just one point.
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Mboko was getting the job done herself though. She did had to save a break point in the seventh game, firing a spectacular backhand winner up the line, but otherwise was largely comfortable on serve. Then, as Rybakina served to send the set to a tiebreak, the Canadian finally got into one of her service games. Mboko won a long rally to get a 30-40 break point/set point opening but, as she often does, Rybakina bailed herself out with a big serve.
A nightmare start to the tiebreak from Mboko, losing her first three service points, dug the Canadian into a hole she could not climb out of. While she did get two minibreaks of her own to keep Rybakina within striking distance, she never fully managed to reel the former Wimbledon champion back in. From 4-2, Rybakina won her last three service points to secure the win.
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Even in defeat, the result is an encouraging one for Mboko, who had struggled since winning in Montreal. The quarter-final appearance was her best result since lifting the National Bank Open trophy. She is projected to reclaim the Canadian No. 1 ranking from Leylah Annie Fernandez, who also lost to Rybakina in Tokyo in round two, on Monday.
Gabriela Dabrowski was also eliminated from Tokyo on Friday, falling in the doubles quarter-finals with Sofia Kenin to Timea Babos and Luisa Stefani 10-8 in the match tiebreak.
Feature Photo : Martin Sidorjak
