Elena Rybakina failed to impress in her first match since winning Wimbledon, with the Kazakh dispatched 1-6, 6-2, 6-0 on Monday by Daria Kasatkina in the WTA tournament in San Jose.
The California dream of the newest Grand Slam champion was ended after one and three-quarter hours, with Rybakina admitting she came in lacking preparation after being distracted by victory celebrations over the past three weeks.
“It was a tough week after Wimbledon. I had a lot of things to do,” she said.
“I didn’t have enough time to prepare for the hardcourt season. I wanted to come and try my best.
“I’m just happy that I’m here and I started my matches, so hopefully it will just get better and better.”
Rybakina was broken six times and contributed three of the eight cumulative double-faults struck by both players in the first round match.
Rybakina won when the pair last played at Abu Dhabi last season, Kasatkina played the final here a year ago and scored her 28th win of the season with the knockout of the Wimbledon winner.
Main photo:- Elena Rybakina (KAZ) winning ladies singles final Wimbledon 2022 Photo Roger Parker International Sports Fotos Ltd
