Speaking at her post-match press conference on Tuesday, Rybakina reiterated her disappointment with the Hologic WTA Tour’s investigation, “the way it’s been handled, just the outcome.
“But anyway, I need to focus on my tournament. It’s what I’m trying to do. Yeah, hopefully I can just keep on playing, keep on winning.”
Improbably, she did so once again on Wednesday against an in-form Badosa. The Spaniard began the year with Top 10 comeback punctuated by a career milestone, a maiden major semifinal at the Australian Open.
Now ranked No. 10, the ninth-seeded Badosa, who was ranked as low as No. 140 last spring, was prescient in her goal of returning to the top of the game despite a career-threatening back injury, and was equally on song in the early goings against Rybakina.
Roaring back from 0-3 down in the opening set, Badosa nabbed seven of the next eight games to find herself up a set and a break. A poor serve game followed and Rybakina was back in the match, taking a 5-3 lead of her own in the second set.
