8/15/2023 0 Comments Tennis olympic games tokyo 2020With Rybakina reeling, Svitolina pounced, breaking serve for a third time to earn a chance to serve for the win. The three-time major semifinalist and 2019 WTA Finals champion kept the return pressure on Rybakina before finally breaking her for just the second time in the match to get back on serve at 3-4. Instead of leaning into the aggressive mindset that earned her the second set, Svitolina hit a tentative forehand that landed short and Rybakina fired a forehand winner to break to 2-0.Īgain, Svitolina refused to give in. Now it was Svitolina's turn to strike a double fault and face down break point. Under immediate pressure in her opening service game of the final set, Rybakina overcame a double-fault at 30-all to save break point and hold her serve. READ: Svitolina, Monfils put honeymoon on hold to compete in Tokyo But Rybakina pushed the volley wide to give Svitolina set point and then mistimed a forehand return to give Svitolina the set. This was a hell of a match for me, but fighting for a bronze medal meant a lot to me and I was focused on that."Īfter falling behind an early break in the second set, Svitolina dug in and dialed up her intensity and aggression to force Rybakina to a tiebreak. The turning point came at 5-5, as Rybakina crafted a perfect baseline point to earn a standard forehand volley at the net that would have given her a match point. "I was upset in the beginning, but I got back, pulled myself together. ![]() "My secret is to overcome those bad thoughts with something more positive, so I can focus on the future and leave the bad things behind," Svitolina said. After fending off Svitolina in a 10-minute game to hold to 2-1, Rybakina overwhelmed the Ukrainian's serve to pocket the opener in 28 minutes. In the first set, Svitolina managed to win just five points across her three service games. In their first meeting on hard courts, Rybakina's baseline power game was in full flow at the start. Everyone in Ukraine is watching – we don’t win so many medals, you know – so for sure, it’s very special for me and for Ukraine." ![]() ![]() "To win such a big battle for the bronze medal definitely means the world to me. "Coming here, for sure my goal was to win a gold medal, and it was extremely tough to lose in the semi-finals and then try to regroup and come again against a top player who is playing really good,” Svitolina said, as reported by the ITF Website. The moment clinched #Bronze #Tokyo2020 | #Tennis | #Olympics /abpObZtGnH
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