Rybakina announced the partnership with Ivanisevic during the WTA Finals last fall, having abruptly split with coach Stefano Vukov ahead of the US Open in August.
“We did preparation for a couple of weeks, and we’re still now getting to know each other better,” she said on court after defeating Bouzas Maneiro, 6-2, 6-3. “There is a lot of things I can improve, and we’re working a little bit in everything. It’s so difficult to straight away come here and play, so slowly, I think we’ll see the result of the work.”
Ivanisevic previewed his work with Rybakina earlier in the afternoon, the former world No. 2 hoping to hone the Kazakh’s aggressive instincts in 2025.
