Elena Rybakina made a triumphant start to her campaign at the WTA 500 tournament in Strasbourg, while Paula Badosa progressed into the next round after her rival retired.
Rybakina, who took a wildcard into Strasbourg after an early Rome exit and is seeded at No. 4 in the French tournament, ousted Wang Xinyu 6-1 6-3 in just over an hour of play.
On the other side, third-seeded Badosa was tied to three games apiece against Marie Bouzkova when the Czech retired from the match.
In the first set, Rybakina won five games in a row to routinely seal the opener. In the second set, the 2022 Wimbledon champion was 3-2 down before winning four games in a row to complete her two-set win.
In the Badosa and Bouzkova match, the Czech was twice up by a break early on against the Spaniard. But at 3-2 in the first set, Bouzkova had to call a medical timeout for a thigh injury. When the match continued, the Czech played only one more game before retiring.
How Rybakina & Badosa reacted to their wins and who are their next opponents?
"It’s not easy, [Wang] plays really aggressive too, and I knew we would not have long rallies. So I was focusing on my serve. Really served better in the second set," Rybakina said after her win.
In the Strasbourg quarterfinal, the Kazakh will play against Magda Linette.
Meanwhile, Badosa's next rival will be either Diane Parry or Liudmila Samsonova.
"It was 3-3 but it was a very long match, as you can see, 40 minute. It’s always a battle with Marie. And I feel very sorry for her with what happened because it was in the middle of the match, so it wasn’t expected from her side. Me, I’m happy to be back after two months. It was a tough journey, so finally being back and getting minutes on court, I really appreciate it. I’m still very far from my level, but hopefully I can be there soon," Badosa said after she progressed following a Bouzkova retirement.
