Elena Rybakina “has looked vulnerable at times”. Such was the courageous allegation made by Anne Keothavong, Great Britain’s Billie Jean King Cup captain, ahead of Katie Boulter’s third round match against the defending champion at Wimbledon 2023.
She wasn’t actually wrong. It wasn’t just the nervy first set lost to Shelby Rogers in her opening match of the Fortnight.
There was Rybakina’s curiously listless second set against Alize Cornet during their second round encounter, with her usually reliable ace count in the basement, her winner/error account in startling deficit, and those 12 deuces required to hold her last serve before the tiebreak. Had Cornet not been injured in a nasty fall, the contest would surely have gone into a third set.
Tennis wonks love nothing better than an hour or several of granular analysis, frowning to one another over the latest competitive developments while earnestly querying: “Yes, but what does it mean?”
Unfortunately for Boulter, Rybakina’s uncertainty in her opening two rounds here apparently added up to the ideal preparation for a third round in which she not so much declared her crushing superiority as bellowed it around the Centre Court through a megaphone.
Boulter’s assignment to become the first British woman to defeat an incumbent Wimbledon champion since Virginia Wade beat Chris Evert in 1977 proved mission absolutely impossible.
Rybakina demolished her 6-1, 6-1 in 57 pitiless minutes. She will take on the Brazilian No.13 seed Beatriz Haddad Maia in the last 16.
All the signature Rybakina style was in evidence: the venomous serve, the breathtaking speed of strike leaving Boulter no time to compose a reply, mixing up power and touch to terminal effect. Yet at the handshake Rybakina’s modesty was so great that she almost looked sheepish.
“I was playing really well, focused from beginning to end,” she said afterwards. “It was a really long day for us, just waiting, watching a bit of the guys playing. Not easy.
“But I knew what to expect and of course I knew it would be a tough one. But I heard some support in the crowd and it was a really nice atmosphere. Even though the support was more towards Katie, I was focused to the end – but there’s always more to improve.”
It was another day-long wait for the Centre Court crowd until their moment came to cheer on the last Brit standing in either the men’s or women’s singles. Before the match began, so much seemed possible from Boulter, and the British wild card was already guaranteed another bounce up the rankings to a new career high.
Moreover, this was far from her first rodeo. Last year on Centre Court she defeated 2021 Wimbledon runner-up Karolina Pliskova in style, her love of the big stage married to a game style of corresponding fearlessness.
This time, watched from the player box by her partner Alex De Minaur (Australia’s world No.17 was in fetching lilac – very on trend, so it’s said), Boulter was all but obliterated by her opponent’s lethal serve.
Before the match the world No.88 declared her intent to “have a swing and go for it”. But there wasn’t an “it” to go for, so total was Rybakina’s domination.
"She was relentless, the much better player," said Boulter. "But I've loved every single minute this week. I’m at a career high off the back of some seriously positive weeks. Alex will be giving me some words of wisdom. I’ll be ready to go in the mixed doubles with him, enjoying myself and having fun."
What was it the Kazakh said earlier this week? Ah yes. “Anyone can beat anyone.” Not in this match – and on this form, maybe not at any time this Fortnight.
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