Elena Rybakina came back from a break down in the first set to beat Viktorija Golubic 7-6(5), 6-2 at Indian Wells on Tuesday to reach her second quarterfinal of 2022.
No. 17 seed Rybakina made it to the final in Sydney in January before losing to No.1 Ash Barty.
With a powerful serve and having recovered from Covid, Rybakina won 74 per cent of first serve points against her Swiss opponent and faced only two break points as she won the tie in 92 minutes.
“Here is the first tournament I can say, yes, after corona I’m feeling much better,” she said after the match.
“I’m not coughing. Maybe physically I didn’t have good preparation, didn’t practice much, but at least I’m very happy that now I can play.
“No matter if the shot is good, it’s not good, I’m just happy that now I’m moving, I’m not in the bed.”
Rybakina will face No.6 seed Maria Sakkari on Thursday.
