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Italian Open winner Elena Rybakina and her sister Anna treated themselves to a fun day out in Rome before heading to Paris for the French Open.
Rybakina clinched the Italian Open title after the summit clash on Saturday, May 20, ended in her opponent Anhelina Kalinina retiring due to injury [6-4, 1-0 (ret.)]. The reigning Wimbledon champion had her sister by her side as she lifted her second WTA 1000 trophy of this season.
A day later, the siblings indulged in a Roman adventure to celebrate Elena’s triumph. She later shared pictures from their fun outing as well.
The Rybakina sisters strolled through the lanes of Rome and also visited well-known tourist spots in the capital city. They were also captured in front of the city’s most famous historic structure - the Colosseum.
Elena Rybakina posed for a picture near the Trevi fountain as well, with the siblings then relishing an Italian dining experience.
Anna has been a constant source of encouragement for Elena Rybakina. Tennis fans have enjoyed watching the sisters’ contrasting personalities shine through during the Elena’s matches.
Ann has also been a bit of a lucky charm for the reigning Wimbledon champion. She has made her presence felt during all of her sibling’s big triumphs, and has now been accompanying Elena all around the world on her tennis tour.
"Hopefully I can go far at French Open" – Elena Rybakina says she is more confident after Italian Open 2023 win
Elena Rybakina endured an unusual campaign enroute her title at the Italian Open. In addition to multiple rain delays, she was handed three walkovers, and admitted that the fortnight in Rome was “really strange.”
Nonetheless, the reigning Indian Wells champion has stated that she is happy with the win. She also stated that she feels fortunate to have had enough match practice on clay ahead of the 2023 French Open.
“I'm happy that this tough two weeks also finished in a good way for me. Now I got more matches on clay, so it's a bit easier and a bit more confidence definitely,” she said in her post-match press conference after the Italian Open win.
Rybakina added that she is hopeful of making a deep run at the claycourt Major.
“Hopefully I can go far at French Open. I have good memories playing there,” she said.
Her best result at the French Open saw her reach the quarterfinals in 2021. At the 2023 tournament, the Kazakh is expected to be handed a more favorable draw, thanks to her career-high ranking.
Rybakina reached a ranking of World No. 4 after the Italian Open triumph. As a top-four seed at the French Open, she will able to avoid fellow title contenders Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka before the semifinals.
