Top-seeded Elena Rybakina secured her second title of the season with a easy 6-1, 6-4 victory over Daria Kasatkina on the Abu Dhabi Open on Sunday. The world quantity 5, who began the yr with a title in Brisbane, added a seventh trophy to her resume and is now joint-second on the match-wins leaderboard with 11 victories to her identify in 2024. Light rain supplied some late drama because it briefly interrupted the ultimate sport of the competition, with gamers instructed to attend on their benches with Rybakina main 6-1, 5-4, 30/30.   It was solely a brief delay although because the 2022 Wimbledon champion closed out the win with two good serves on the 68-minute mark.

“First I want to congratulate Daria of course with a great week, congrats to you and the team,” Russian-born Kazakh Rybakina mentioned in her victory speech. 

“Tough week, especially last matches, and tomorrow is already a match in Doha, so hopefully we both recover and we do well there and maybe play the final there.”

Rybakina struck first however double-faulted at hand Kasatkina the break again. 

Kasatkina returned the favour instantly, double-faulting to drop serve as soon as once more and the Russian didn’t win one other sport in that set as Rybakina secured the set 6-1 in 24 minutes.

Kasatkina hit simply two winners in that set, towards a whopping 16 unforced errors, and her double-fault depend was mounting as she struggled with the windy circumstances.

The second set was a extra aggressive affair however Rybakina’s energy sport in the end made the distinction with Kasatkina clearly feeling the after results of the taxing three-hour semi-final she performed towards Beatriz Haddad Maia the earlier night.

Kasatkina has now misplaced her final 4 consecutive finals –- together with two this yr in Adelaide and Abu Dhabi -– and stays in quest of a primary title triumph since 2022.

“I’m playing a lot of matches, I’m winning most of them, which is very important,” mentioned Kasatkina, who’s 10-3 win-loss to this point this marketing campaign.

“I think it’s the best start of the year for me ever. I can be just happy with that.

“Of course there are moments which are disappointing –- to lose the ultimate shouldn’t be a pleasant factor however as Daniil Medvedev mentioned after the Australian Open, it is higher to play three finals than to lose three first rounds. So I’ll take that.”

The Russian world number 14 has a quick turnaround and will catch a late flight Sunday from Abu Dhabi to Doha, where she is due to face her compatriot and good friend Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the first round of the Qatar Open on Monday.

“Right now I’m a bit disillusioned after all. But generally being upset can assist you perhaps greater than being tremendous joyful,” said Kasatkina.

“That’s what occurred two years in the past once I misplaced within the semi-finals from match level to Ons (Jabeur) in Rome. I actually imagine that match made me play semi-final at Roland Garros.

“So I will think this way, thinking that these losses in the finals they will just make me better and will push me to grow.”

Seeded quantity three in Doha, Rybakina has a first-round bye and kicks off her draw there towards Varvara Gracheva or Zhu Lin in spherical two.

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