Fans Slam Elena Rybakina As She Withdraws from Pan Pacific Open Right After Qualifying for WTA Finals: “Pathetic Work Ethics”

Elena Rybakina has clinched two trophies this season at the Strasbourg Open and the Ningbo Open.

Fans Slam Elena Rybakina As She Withdraws from Pan Pacific Open Right After Qualifying for WTA Finals: “Pathetic Work Ethics”

Elena Rybakina (Image via X/US Open Tennis)

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Elena Rybakina needed just one match win to book a ticket to Riyadh for the WTA Finals. That win came against reigning Canadian Open champion Victoria Mboko in the quarterfinal of the Pan Pacific Open.

Rybakina and Mirra Andreeva were fighting for a spot in the WTA Finals. Andreeva’s hopes ended when she suffered a three-set defeat to home favorite Zhu Lin in the Ningbo Open in her opening round. This year, the Russian ace took home back-to-back WTA 1000 titles at the Dubai Open and Indian Wells. Rybakina kept fighting, playing tournaments on the East Asian swing one after the other. She couldn’t qualify for the Pan Pacific Open due to visa issues.

After a disappointing campaign at the China Open and quarterfinal defeat to Aryna Sabalenka in the Wuhan Open, Rybakina clinched her second title of the season at the Ningbo Open by beating Ekaterina Alexandrova.

Following Ningbo, she knocked out Leylah Fernandez from the Pan Pacific Open, before she went past Mboko. The Kazakh ace cited injury problems and ended up withdrawing from the semifinal match she was scheduled to play against Linda Noskova. Rybakina said in a statement:

I’m very sorry I can’t play today. I have been having problems with my back this week and can’t play 100%. I am disappointed that my fans will not see me today, but I hope to see you next year.

Rybakina tasted success for the first time this season when she defeated Liudmila Samsonova in the Strasbourg Open final. At the WTA Finals, she has never progressed to the semifinals, failing to progress to the last for in 2023 and 2024.

Fans slam Elena Rybakina after her Pan Pacific Open withdrawal

Some fans called out Elena Rybakina, accusing her of playing the Pan Pacific Open only to beat Mirra Andreeva in the WTA Finals race. On social media, the fans said Rybakina, instead of the injury reason, should reveal the truth that she withdrew only because she has qualified for the year-end championships.

Elena Rybakina 1
Elena Rybakina (Image via X/Jimmie48 Photography)

Check out their reactions here:

Rybakina holds a 2-1 head-to-head record over Victoria Mboko. This year, they first met in the fourth round of the Citi Open, which the 2022 Wimbledon champion won, but the Canadian ace got her revenge by knocking her out of the semifinals of the Canadian Open before beating Naomi Osaka to win her career’s first title.

Elena Rybakina admitted she was tired after continuous tennis

After her win over Fernandez in her opening round match of the Pan Pacific Open, Rybakina admitted that playing tournaments one after the other tired his physically. But she also expressed her wish to keep pushing.

Elena Rybakina
Elena Rybakina (Image via X/#AusOpen)

Well, I’m feeling a little bit tired here, of course, but ready to make last pushes. Very happy with the last week and trying to bring everything from last week to here. I just wanted to say thank you so much for coming and supporting today.

Elena Rybakina said during her on-court interview

Last year, Rybakina lost her first two matches at the WTA Finals. Jasmine Paolini first secured a straight-set win against her, following which, eventual runner-up Qinwen Zheng clinched a three-set win. In her third group-stage match, Rybakina ended Aryna Sabalenka‘s run with a three-set win.

The 54th edition of the WTA Finals is scheduled to start on November 1, while the final will be held on November 8. Coco Gauff will enter the tournament as the defending champion.

Apart from Gauff and Rybakina, players who have qualified for the year-end championships are: four-time Grand Slam singles champion Sabalenka, six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek, two-time Major runner-up Amanda Anisimova, reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys, 2024 US Open runner-up Jessica Pegula, and two-time Grand Slam singles runner-up Paolini.

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