Rybakina outlasts Muchova to reach Indian Wells semis
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[March 17, 2023]
(Reuters) -Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina survived a stern
test from Czech Karolina Muchova before advancing 7-6(4) 2-6 6-4 and
will face Iga Swiatek in Friday's semi-final after the world number
one rolled past Sorana Cirstea 6-2 6-3 at Indian Wells.
Muchova smacked a backhand crosscourt winner to break serve in the
first set for a 3-2 lead and, despite having played several grueling
three-set matches at the tournament and having her left thigh
wrapped, looked fresh.
The hard-hitting Rybakina struck back when she converted her sixth
break point opportunity of the set by pouncing on a weak approach
shot from Muchova, who then could not get her volley over the net
for 5-5.
In the tiebreaker momentum swung firmly in Rybakina's favour when
she sent a blistering backhand winner down the line for 4-4 and the
76-minute first set ended on a Muchova double fault.
The unseeded Muchova, a former top 20 player now ranked 76th, played
nearly flawless tennis in the second set to force the decider.
In the third, the 10th-seeded Rybakina went up an early break on
another untimely double fault by Muchova and held at love to push
the advantage to 3-1.
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Muchova continued to battle, saving two match points on her serve in
the ninth game.
But Rybakina did not miss her third opportunity to secure the win,
crushing her sixth ace to end the two-hour, 45-minute contest on a
sunny day at the WTA 1000 event in the Southern California desert.
"It was a really tough match today," said Rybakina, who became the
first Kazakhstani woman to make it to the tournament's semis.
"I served much better in the third. I didn't start that well at the
beginning of the match. I was a bit slower than usual and here the
conditions are not that easy for me.
"But in the important moments I played well."
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![](../images/031723PIX/sports43.jpg)
Mar 16, 2023; Indian Wells, CA, USA;
Elena Rybakina (KAZ) hits a shot in her quarterfinal match as she
defeated Karolina Muchova (CZE) in the BNP Paribas Open at the
Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA
TODAY Sports
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SWIATEK SAILS THROUGH
Rybakina will face the in-form Swiatek for a place in the final
after the Pole dispatched unseeded Romanian Cirstea in the afternoon
session.
The tournament's defending champion broke Cirstea for a third time
to grab the first set and sprinted out to a 4-0 second set lead.
Cirstea cut the lead to 4-2 but Swiatek was determined not to let
her back in the set, crushing a forehand winner for a 5-2 advantage
and sealing the victory two games later when Cirstea's forehand went
long on match point.
Swiatek has yet to drop a set at Indian Wells and is brimming with
confidence after winning a title in Doha last month.
"From the beginning of the tournament I felt this positive energy,"
Swiatek said in an on-court interview.
"The fans are really supportive. It's not easy when you are the
defending champion but I feel like I'm handling it pretty well and
just playing my game."
Swiatek will be out for revenge when she faces Rybakina, who handed
her one of her three losses this season in the fourth round of
January's Australian Open.
The winner of that match will face either seventh-seeded Maria
Sakkari of Greece or big-serving Belarusian second seed Aryna
Sabalenka, who also play their semi-final on Friday.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles, editing by Pritha Sarkar
and Chris Reese)
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