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Elena Rybakina recently reacted to former Brazilian professional footballer Ronaldinho attending her quarterfinal match against Leylah Fernandez at the 2024 Qatar Open.
Rybakina defeated Zhu Lin and Emma Navarro in the first two rounds in Doha to secure her place in the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 tournament. The World No. 4 then faced off against Leylah Fernandez and defeated her in straight sets, winning 6-4, 6-2.
Rybakina will next face Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who will be making her first appearance in a hard-court semi-final at a WTA 1000 tournament in 14 years.
During the quarterfinal match between Elena Rybakina and Leylah Fernandez, Barcelona legend Ronaldinho captivated the fans with his presence.
Following the match, Rybakina took to social media to express her excitement about the football legend's attendance. She shared a post of the news of his presence at the game.
"@ronaldinho 🙌🏻 🙌🏻 ," Rybakina captioned her Instagram stories.
A brief look into Elena Rybakina's 2024 season so far
Elena Rybakina is having an exceptional season in 2024. She has already claimed two titles out of the five tournaments she has participated in.
Rybakina kicked off her season at the Brisbane International, where she defeated Olivia Gadecki 6-4, 6-1 in the first round and defeated Elise Mertens 6-1, 6-0 to secure her spot in the quarterfinal where she went up against Anastasia Potapova. The World No. 4 then breezed through the last eight after Potapova retired mid-match due to a left abdominal injury.
In the semifinals, Elena Rybakina faced Linda Noskova and emerged victorious with a score of 6-3, 6-2, setting up the final against Aryna Sabalenka. In the championship match, Rybakina defeated Sabalenka 6-0, 6-3 to clinch her sixth career title and her first of the season at the Brisbane International.
The 24-year-old then played at the Adelaide International, where she won in the opening match against Cristina Bucsa with a score of 6-3, 7-5. However, her campaign in Adelaide came to an end when she faced off against Ekaterina Alexandrova, who defeated her 6-3, 6-3.
Elena Rybakina's performance at the Australian Open was lackluster. Although she managed to defeat Karolina Pliskova in the first round 7-6(6), 6-4, her journey at the Melbourne Major was cut short when she was defeated by Anna Blinkova in a grueling match that ended 6-4, 4-6, 7-6[20] in the second round.
However, Rybakina's fortunes turned around when she participated in the Abu Dhabi Open. In the first-round match, she overcame Danielle Collins 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. She continued her winning streak in the second round, defeating Cristina Bucsa 6-1, 6-4.
In the semifinals, she faced off against Liudmila Samsonova and emerged victorious, winning 6-0, 4-6, 6-2, securing her spot in the final against Daria Kasatkina. In the championship match, Rybakina defeated Kasatkina 6-1, 6-4, to win her second title of the season, seventh career title, and fourth on a hard court.
Then at the Qatar Open, Rybakina continued her winning streak by defeating Zhu Lin in the first round 6-2, 6-1. She then defeated Emma Navarro 6-1 6-7(6) 6-4 in the second round to move into the quarterfinals where she went up against Leylah Fernandez.
