"Disservice to Iga Swiatek & Aryna Sabalenka that Elena Rybakina's put on their level" - Fans react as Kazakh crashes out of Wimbledon

Barbora Krejcikova defeated Elena Rybakina in the 2024 Wimbledon Championships semifinal. Krejcikova managed to win the match by coming back from a set down. Fans were disappointed with Rybakina but lauded the Czech for her 'tactical masterclass'.

Rybakina, a former Wimbledon champion, was one of the favorites to win the tournament this year given her impressive form at SW19. However, 31st seed Krejcikova was well prepared to cause an upset and advance to her maiden Wimbledon final.

The Kazakh started quicker off the blocks and took a 3-0 lead in the first set. Krejcikova could not recover from the deficit and lost the set 3-6. In the second set, the Czech player led the charge and broke Rybakina to lead 4-2. Eventually, Krejcikova bagged the set 6-3 to force the decider.

Both competitors were neck-and-neck in the final set before Krejcikova forced a break to lead 5-3. She served for the match at 5-4 and won the game to love to complete an emphatic comeback win.

The final score was posted on Reddit and many fans felt that Rybakina 'choked' when it mattered.

"Rybakina choked so hard, she dominated the first set and just fell apart... " one fan wrote.

"It was her Wimbledon to lose. And she lost it 🤝🏻" another fan wrote.

One fan claimed that it was wrong to put Elena Rybakina on the same pedestal as Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka. They wrote:

"Ryba is not serious omg. Such a disservice to Iga and Sabalenka that she’s put on their level just because of some H2Hs. Big 2, not 3," a third fan stated.

Comment byu/LenaRybakina from discussion intennis

"As a Rybakina fan, this was disappointing to watch," another fan wrote.

Many fans lauded 28-year-old Krejcikova for her win. The Czech was away from competitive tennis for two months earlier in the season due to a back injury and later illness. She came back and suffered multiple first-round exits in clay court tournaments before embarking on a magical run at Wimbledon.

"Simply put, a tactical masterclass. Figured out every single element of Elena’s game," wrote one fan.

"Krejcikova is not a one hit wonder slam," another fan wrote.

Barbora Krejcikova will face Jasmine Paolini in the Wimbledon final on Saturday, July 13.

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Elena Rybakina's head-to-head record against Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka

Elena Rybakina at The Championships - Wimbledon 2024 (Source: GETTY)

Since entering the WTA Top 5 in May 2023, Elena Rybakina has maintained her spot for over a year.

She has had multiple battles against World No. 1 Iga Swiatek and World No. 3 Aryna Sabalenka where she has come out on top and made a case for herself to go higher up in the rankings. The trio is sometimes called the 'Big 3' of women's tennis.

Against Swiatek, Rybakina leads the head-to-head record 4-2. The pair has met once in a Grand Slam, a round of 16 clash in the Australian Open last year, where the Kazakh won in straight sets.

Against Sabalenka, Rybakina trails in the head-to-head 3-6. They have met twice in Grand Slam events with the Belarusian winning both encounters.

Iga Swiatek is a five-time Grand Slam winner while Aryna Sabalenka is a two-time winner and one-time runner-up. Elena Rybakina, on the other hand, has won one Grand Slam title and finished as a runner-up once.