Elena Rybakina calls out WTA for last-minute rule change as her seeding becomes useless

Elena Rybakina let her frustrations out at WTA after she didn't receive her justified bye in the first round of the upcoming Tokyo Open.

Elena Rybakina calls out WTA for last-minute rule change as her seeding becomes useless

Elena Rybakina during a press-conference. (credits: NBC Sports)

World No. 3 Elena Rybakina who will start off her stint at the upcoming Tokyo Open has now cracked a big statement against the new rules invoked by WTA on the players. She has been seeded third in the tournament but unlike other top-seeded players, she hasn’t received a first-round bye and now will have to play a tough first-round matchup against Linda Noskova.

But fourth seed and fifth seed Maria Sakkari and Caroline Garcia will there receive those byes just because they reached the semi-finals of the recently played Guadalajara Open. This new rule left the Kazakhstan star really amused with WTA as she took to her Instagram posting about the partiality. Rybakina posted a picture of the entire draw with the caption, “Performance bye”.

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She added, “Thank you for changing the rules last moment… great decisions as always, WTA.” Iga Swiatek, Jessica Pegula, Sakkari, and Garcia who are the other top-seeded players will receive the byes in the first round. The fact that Rybakina wasn’t informed about this rule of the tournament angered her and thereby bashed WTA for the lack of communication between the tour and its players.

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Also Read: Maria Sharapova breaks the hearts of fans by admitting to not missing the sport as she attends the opening day of the US Open 2023

How has the year fared for Elena Rybakina so far

Rybakina was in top form last year and many fans hoped she to have a stellar 2023 as well. But things just haven’t gone to her plans having failed to manage a single Grand Slam this season. She started the year on a high by making it to the finals of the Australian Open but lost it out to Aryna Sabalenka despite winning the first set. She then made it to the finals of the Indian Wells Masters and this time she took revenge on Sabalenka by emerging victorious on straight sets.

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Elena Rybakina after losing a match. (Credits: The Guardian)

After that, she also made it to the finals of the Miami Open but failed to win the title as she was defeated by 15th-seeded Petra Kvitova following which she clinched the Rome Masters beating Kalinina in the final. After this, her form dropped considerably as she failed to make it to any more finals. She has now gone seven tournaments without a trophy and considering her standards, she would like to make it work this time out at the Tokyo Open.

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