World number three Elena Rybakina overcame a slow start and saved a clutch of set points to beat Karolina Pliskova 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 in her first match at the Australian Open on Tuesday.
Last year’s beaten finalist could not get on the board in the first two games as her 38th-ranked Czech opponent made a flying start.
But the Kazakh third seed quickly found her feet on Rod Laver Arena against the 2019 semi-finalist, breaking to get back on terms.
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The rest of the set went with serve, with Pliskova fending off three set points in the 12th game.
In the tie-break, it was Rybakina’s turn to dig deep against the two-time Grand Slam finalist.
She saved three set points, the third with a cross-court forehand that just caught the line and took the set 8-6.
The 2022 Wimbledon champion, who won the Brisbane International earlier this month, broke in the third game of the second set to establish a firm grip on the match and suffered few scares after that.
Rybakina, who will face unseeded Russian Anna Blinkova in the second round, said it had been a tough first outing.
“I’m really happy that I managed to win and survive the first set,” she said. “The second was a bit better.”
She added: “No matter what the result was last year I’m super happy to be back. It was very positive for me even though I lost (in the 2023 final).”
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