Elena Rybakina Cruises Into US Open Third Round

World No. 2 Elena Rybakina delivered a strong performance to defeat Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-2, 6-4 and reach the third round of the US Open on Thursday.

The Kazakh, who is aiming to reach the top of the WTA rankings with a title in New York, met expectations during the final night session at Louis Armstrong Stadium.

Rybakina is also chasing a third Grand Slam title and made an impressive start against Bouzas Maneiro. She quickly established a 3-0 lead and maintained control throughout the opening set, which she completed in just 30 minutes.

The second set followed a similar pattern. Rybakina continued to strike the ball cleanly and put her opponent under constant pressure. She won three of the opening four games and appeared to be heading towards a comfortable victory.

However, the match became more competitive when Rybakina served for the win. The Russian-born player lost her serve for the first time in the tournament, giving Bouzas Maneiro renewed hope.

The Spaniard refused to surrender, but Rybakina quickly regained her composure. She responded by breaking again in the next game to seal her place in the US 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.

Her victory also eased concerns about her fitness after she retired from the Cincinnati Open during the build-up to the US Open.

Rybakina will now meet Ukraine’s Yuliia Starodubtseva in the third round. Starodubtseva reached the next stage after fighting back to defeat 32nd seed Maria Sakkari.

Rybakina admitted that her preparations for the tournament had been far from ideal after her Cincinnati setback.

“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.”

With her fitness concerns seemingly behind her, Elena Rybakina remains firmly in the hunt for a deep run in New York and a chance to challenge for the world No. 1 ranking.

Can Rybakina continue her impressive run and claim her third Grand Slam title in New York?