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Elena Rybakina's shocking loss in the third round of the 2023 US Open has left tennis fans perplexed, particularly with respect to her subpar serving performance.
On Friday, September 1, Sorana Cirstea pulled off a stunning upset over the World No. 4. The Romanian claimed a 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-4 victory in two hours and 48 minutes to advance to the fourth round at Flushing Meadows for the first time in her career.
Although Rybakina staged a valiant comeback in the second set, she appeared far from her best over the course of the match. The Kazakh committed a total of 56 unforced errors, including four doubles faults, one of which came on match point. She also registered a low break point conversion rate, capitalizing on only four of her 13 chances to break.
Several fans expressed their disappointment with Elena Rybakina's performance, particularly taking issue with her uncharacteristic struggles on serve.
Despite leading the tour in aces for the 2023 season, the Kazakh only managed three aces against Cirstea. Additionally, the 2022 Wimbledon champion's win rates on her first and second serves stood at 55% and 57% respectively.
"Whoever messed with Elena's serve and changed it should be fired immediately," a fan commented.
"Painful to watch Rybakina the second half of the season. Can't get first serves in and ridiculous amount of error," another fan chimed in.
One user stated that they were "destroyed" by the 24-year-old's defeat against Cirstea.
"I’m destroyed, I’m always wanting Rybakina to win the tournament every time she plays… and it breaks me everytime, it stresses me out so much lol probably doesn’t help it’s 5am for me," the user posted.
Here are a few more fan reactions:
The US Open remains Elena Rybakina's least successful Grand Slam
The third-round finish remains Elena Rybakina's best result at the US Open, matching her 2021 run. Having won the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, contested the 2023 Australian Open final, and reached the 2021 French Open quarterfinals, the New York Major is the only Grand Slam where the World No. 4 has not yet made it to the second week.
With a 4-5 win/loss record at Flushing Meadows, the 24-year-old holds a 44% win rate, which is significantly lower than her winning percentages at the Australian Open (71%), French Open (69%) and Wimbledon (88%).
Sorana Cirstea, meanwhile, will take on Belinda Bencic in the fourth round. Bencic claimed a 7-6(1), 2-6, 6-3 win over Zhu Lin to book her spot in the Round of 16.
