Paolini had battled to a three-set victory in the pair’s most recent meeting in the quarterfinals of Roland Garros, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4, and even though this one ended in straight sets, it was another close one, particularly in the 64-minute first set as it went right down to the wire—Rybakina was originally up a mini-break in the tie-break before Paolini stormed out to a 6-2 lead, but she ended up needing four set points to finally close it out.
Then, after six straight holds to start the second set, Paolini grabbed the only break of the set for 4-3 en route to victory.
“It’s amazing, I’m really happy with the win today,” the world No. 4 said afterwards. “All tough matches here, and Elena, she’s playing unbelievable. It’s good to see her back on tour.
“It’s always tough to play her, big serve, big forehand, everything is big—I mean, she’s hitting the ball so strong, so I’m happy how I managed to play this match. And it wasn’t easy, because it’s my first time here at the WTA Finals. I’m very happy with the win.”
Rybakina was playing her first match in more than two months—her last outing was a first-round win at the US Open at the end of August, then she withdrew from the tournament prior to her second-round match due to an undisclosed injury.
