In an endurance test that lasted until the early hours, Elena Rybakina from Kazakhstan emerged victorious against Russia's Daria Kasatkina with a scoreline of 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (8) in the National Bank Open quarterfinals. The match culminated on Saturday at an unprecedented 2:54 a.m.
As the game reached its zenith, only a dedicated few of the original spectators remained. Rybakina, showcasing resilience and skill, clinched the win over Kasatkina with an authoritative overhand smash on her fifth match point attempt. Notably, she staved off a match point earlier with a precisely timed ace, balancing the tiebreaker at 8.
In a post-match court statement, Rybakina shared her feelings, “I've played three sets, tough battles, but like this, honestly, physically it's really tough.” She further commented on the unusual timing of the match, “It's so late. I've never played this late. Thank you so much. Hopefully, somehow I can recover for tomorrow.”
The quarterfinal had seen a delayed start due to several unforeseen circumstances. Torrential rain on Thursday caused over six hours of interruptions. Following this, a series of extended matches on Friday further pushed back the schedule. This led to Rybakina and the 10th-seeded Kasatkina commencing their duel only at 11:27 p.m., which eventually stretched to a 3 hour 27-minute showdown.
As the National Bank Open progresses, Rybakina is now set to compete in the semifinals against another Russian, the 15th-seeded Liudmila Samsonova. Samsonova previously secured her semifinal berth by defeating 12th-seeded Belinda Bencic of Switzerland with a straight-set victory of 6-4, 6-4. With such intense and thrilling matches, the National Bank Open promises more exhilarating encounters as it moves towards the final rounds.
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