‘Rooting for the Aussie boys’: Mates ride US Open wave into second round

New York, September 2 — Elena Rybakina has advanced to the second round of the US Open, despite concerns over her left heel injury, after defeating US teen Thea Frodin in straight sets. The second-ranked Kazakh has set her sights on a third Grand Slam title and potentially an unprecedented world number one ranking, which would come with a semi-final appearance at Flushing Meadows.

Rybakina's 6-3, 6-2 victory over Frodin was a well-executed performance, and an uplifting one following the injury that led to her exit from the Cincinnati Open quarter-finals. "I'm pleased with the match. Especially when you don't know your opponent, it can be quite dangerous, but overall, I'm happy with the first match and how it went," she stated.

"It's a great result after 10 days from that kind of injury." Rybakina was reassured in Cincinnati by her physio, who confirmed she hadn't torn her Achilles tendon. However, she experienced discomfort when walking for several days and continues to carefully manage her training, rest, and treatment. "When I went to serve, I realized I couldn't push from the leg, making it impossible to continue," she explained.

"From that, we started her recovery, and we didn't know if she'd be able to play here or not." They took the recovery day by day, with Rybakina not competing for the full week, only engaging in limited gym work. She now feels fine after the match, though she acknowledges the need to closely monitor her condition day by day as this is her first match and involves considerable movement.