Elena Rybakina’s Impressive Madrid 2024 Comeback and Victory Over Yulia Putintseva
Elena Rybakina showcased her dominance on clay courts with a stunning comeback against fellow Kazakh player Yulia Putintseva at the 2024 Mutua Madrid Open.
The Stuttgart champion won an eighth straight match of the clay-court season, saving two match points to overcome her countrywoman in a gripping quarterfinal duel.
At the 2024 Mutua Madrid Open, Elena Rybakina staged an amazing comeback to continue her winning record on clay courts. She survived two match points to defeat Yulia Putintseva, a fellow Kazakh, 4-6, 7-6 (4), 7-5.
In two previous meetings, Rybakina had lost to Putintseva 5-2, but in the decisive set, she overcame the deficit to deny her rival a first-ever WTA 1000 semifinal and win eight straight matches—her 30th of the season—in two hours and forty-eight minutes at Manolo Santana Stadium.
“It was a really tough match,” Rybakina said on court. “I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, of course. I was hoping I would start the match better but I was having a lot of unforced errors. It was not easy to keep coming back and pushing through, but at 5-2, I already left all the emotions and frustrations to just keep playing. The momentum shifted, Yulia started to be a little bit more angry and some mistakes helped me. I’m really happy.”
Rybakina made a name for herself this clay-court season when she defeated two-time champion Iga Swiatek in the semifinals of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, securing her place among the talents to watch. The 2022 Wimbledon champion continued the momentum to the Caja Magica, where she took a seven-match winning streak into the quarterfinals with decisive wins over Lucia Bronzetti, Mayar Sherif, and Sara Bejlek.
Putintseva proved to be her most intriguing opponent to date: the Romanian boasted a 2-0 head-to-head record, which included a victory on clay at the 2020 Internazionali BNL d’Italia. Since the start of the spring, Putintseva has been enjoying a late-career comeback, having advanced to the Miami Open quarterfinals and defeated two seeds in Madrid, No. 6 Zheng Qinwen and No. 10 Daria Kasatkina, en route to the round of eight.
Putintseva had a history of bad luck when it came to Madrid. She told WTA Insider that her luggage had been stolen at a hotel during a layover before she left for the BNP Paribas Open back in March.
Putintseva, a two-time quarterfinalist at Roland Garros, has produced some of her best work on clay, fusing her athleticism and variety into a fiery package that stands in sharp contrast to Rybakina’s renownedly composed on-court manner.
Naturally, Putintseva sent off fireworks right away. After winning the first and only break of the opening set, she served the set to love to position herself for the biggest upset of the women’s event to date.
She appeared on course for a definitive victory when she opened the second set with another break advantage, but Rybakina came to life, blasting through Putintseva’s massive topspin with her flatter ground game to swiftly recapture the break and send the set rushing towards a tiebreaker.
Naturally, Putintseva sent off fireworks right away. After winning the first and only break of the opening set, she served the set to love to position herself for the biggest upset of the women’s event to date.
She appeared on course for a definitive victory when she opened the second set with another break advantage, but Rybakina came to life, blasting through Putintseva’s massive topspin with her flatter ground game to swiftly recapture the break and send the set rushing towards a tiebreaker.
Also Read: Danielle Collins Clinches Miami Title 2024 in Farewell Season: A Stunning Victory Over Rybakina
Rybakina led the Sudden Death the entire way, clinging to the mini-break she had taken just before the change of ends and breaking Putintseva twice to square the match at one set apiece.
As the final entered its crucial stage, Rybakina was unable to sustain that momentum despite coach Stefan Vukov’s yelling instructions from the sidelines: Putintseva recovered from losing a 15-40 lead in the fourth set to start applying pressure on the No. 4 seed in her very next service game. Putintseva outran Rybakina on her third break opportunity of the set and consolidated at love with a strong serve, with coach Matteo Donati and brother Ilya supporting her.
Nerves gripping Putintseva just inches from the finish line, Rybakina bravely saved two match points by winning the final four games, winning eight of them in a row to break at love and gain three match points of her own.
In a final surprise move, Rybakina stiffened up and Putintseva saved all three, but Rybakina soon gained a fourth and converted on a final huge serve. Putintseva, who had broken it after losing a match in which she won more points (114 to 113), faced Rybakina at net sans racquet.
The victor of this week’s final women’s quarterfinal between reigning champion Aryna Sabalenka and teenage sensation Mirra Andreeva—who advanced to the fourth round of this competition last year—will face Rybakina next.
