United Cup: Rybakina and Shevchenko Secure Mixed Doubles Victory, Leading Kazakhstan to Triumph Over Spain
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Perth, Dec 27 (NationPress) Kazakhstan commenced their journey in the United Cup mixed team tournament, with Elena Rybakina, a former Wimbledon champion, guiding the team to a significant victory against Spain in Group C at Perth on Friday.
After leveling the match with a decisive 6-2, 6-3 victory over Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the day's second match, Rybakina joined forces with fellow No. 1 singles competitor Alexander Shevchenko to secure the crucial mixed doubles win against Pablo Carreno Busta and Yvonne Cavalle-Reimers with scores of 7-6(4), 6-7(2), 10-7. Earlier, World No. 9 Shevchenko faced a defeat against World No. 14 Carreno Busta in the tournament's initial match.
In her first match working with her new coach, the 2001 Wimbledon champion and former ATP World No. 2 Goran Ivanisevic, Rybakina faced Bouzas Maneiro for the first time in her career.
“It was a really tough one; first matches are always challenging,” Rybakina remarked during her on-court interview. “Adapting quickly is not easy, but I’m really pleased with how I performed today.”
Rybakina quickly surged to a 4-0 lead, but Bouzas Maneiro began to find her rhythm, registering more forehand winners than Rybakina in the first set (5 to 4), as reported on the United Cup website.
Bouzas Maneiro had four break points at 4-2, aiming to regain control of the serve, but Rybakina effectively navigated that challenge, regained momentum, and eventually broke at love to take the first set.
The Kazakh player established an advantage in the second set by executing several backhand winners for a love break at 4-2. Bouzas Maneiro made a valiant effort, holding three break points at 5-3, but Rybakina's powerful game prevailed as she regrouped and finished the match with a crosscourt backhand rally.
Carreno Busta had previously given Spain an early lead by defeating World No. 78 Alexander Shevchenko with a score of 6-2, 6-1 in Group C on Day 1 of the mixed teams' event.
The 33-year-old achieved 78 percent (21/27) of his first-serve points and hit three aces in just 61 minutes, as per Infosys ATP Stats.
With this victory, the former World No. 10 improved to 2-0 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series. Kazakhstan will advance to the quarter-finals if they defeat Greece in their next group match on Monday.
