"It’s getting tougher and tougher physically" - Elena Rybakina after reaching Dubai QF days following title clash against Iga Swiatek in Doha

Elena Rybakina made it to the quarterfinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships after clinching a hard-fought victory over Poland's Magdalena Frech on Wednesday, February 21. Both Rybakina and Frech canceled each other out with three breaks of serve each.

Rybakina, however, fared better with her serve overall. She hit a staggering 13 aces against Frech's three and ended with a 77 percent conversion on the first serve as compared to the Pole's 65 percent.

The Kazakhstani secured the match 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-4 after two hours and 39 minutes. This was notably her 17th win of the 2024 season in 20 matches. Moreover, she has already won two titles this year, one in Brisbane and the other in Abu Dhabi.

After the match, however, Elena Rybakina suggested that the year had just dawned.

"It's just the beginning of the year. Of course, it’s a great start, but it's not easy. Most important is to stay healthy. With every match, it's getting tougher and tougher physically but really happy with the start of the year, hopefully, I just can continue like this," she said in her on-court interview.

Rybakina has worked tirelessly in the last ten days as she has taken to the courts in three different Middle Eastern cities.

To begin with, Rybakina won the Abu Dhabi Open with a straight-set win over Daria Kasatkina in the final on Sunday, February 11, after going past the likes of Danielle Collins, Cristina Bucsa and Liudmila Samsonova.

Two days later, Rybakina began her Qatar Open campaign in Doha and defeated everyone except World No. 1 Iga Swiatek, losing the summit clash 7-6(8), 6-2 on Saturday, February 17.

Further in the interview, the presenter asked Elena Rybakina whether it had been as taxing mentally as it had been physically. She replied:

"Well it is. There is no secret. I'm just trying to push myself every point and nothing you can really do when you play so much. I think it's a good problem to have."

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Elena Rybakina to face Jasmine Paolini in Dubai Tennis Championships QF

Elena Rybakina

Elena Rybakina is slated to clash with Italy's Jasmine Paolini in her quarterfinal match at the Dubai Tennis Championships on Thursday, February 22. This will be her third meeting with Paolini as she has a 1-1 head-to-head record with the Italian.

Rybakina interestingly played both her matches against Paolini in 2023. The Kazakhstani drew first blood by defeating the Italian 7-6(4), 6-1 at the Italian Open in May. Paolini, however, earned a win at the Cincinnati Open a couple of months later as her opponent retired mid-match with an injury.

Paolini has already caused two upsets in Dubai. She defeated 11th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia in the opening round. Furthermore, she went past eighth seed Maria Sakkari in the Round of 16 after overcoming 2021 US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez.