Sofia Kenin was having a great run at the Dubia Duty Free Tennis Championships. She had beaten 16-seed Donna Vekic in the first round and throttled 4-seed Jasmine Paolini in straight sets in the round of 16. The American appeared to be playing some of the best tennis of her career. Until she played Elena Rybakina in the quarterfinals.
Rybakina might be feeling a bit extra-motivated lately. She had a relatively poor 2024 when she withdrew or retired from double-digit tournaments. She was not a threat at the top ranking and seemed well behind Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, and Coco Gauff as far as playing at a consistently high level. But there might be more to Rybakina's current play than just trying to make this year better than last.
She might also be trying to have people forget about her recent coaching fiasco. She let go of long-time coach Stefano Vukov late in 2024, hired Goran Ivanisevic, seemingly re-hired Vukov, and parted ways after the Australian Open with Ivanisevic. Only, Vukov cannot currently coach Rybakina because the coach is provisionally suspended and likely won't be back until late in the year.
Elena Rybakina reaches semifinals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships
There have also been rumors that the coach and player were involved in a romantic relationship, which further complicates Rybakina's life. She also recently said she feels no support for her ordeal from fellow WTA players.
Possibly she is playing with more of a rage now, and there is nothing wrong with that. Many athletes play angrily. We might not see that from Rybakina on the court, as she often maintains her cool. Inside, though, she might be seething.
One thing has always held true with the Kazakhstani's game. She has immense power, and on the right surface and in-form, she can overpower anyone she plays. This was certainly the case in the first set as Rybakina took the opener 6-2. She also led 3-1 after a break of Kenin in the second set before Kenin was able to get the break back.
After each player held to get to a tie-break, Rybakina was able to push through and take the match 6-2 7-6. She will unexpectedly not play Iga Swiatek next in the semifinals, however. Swiatek was stunned in straight sets by Mirra Andreeva. Andreeva versus Rybakina should make for must-watch tennis.