Key Takeaways
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Rybakina defeated Daria Kasatkina 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 in the 2nd round
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Highlighted need to improve serve percentage and energy levels
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Spoke on hard court confidence and adapting across surfaces
Match reflections
Elena Rybakina admitted her level was not at its peak but expressed satisfaction with advancing after a three-set battle. “Yeah, it wasn’t my best performance, but I’m happy that I managed to win… playing against Dasha is always tough,” she said, acknowledging the challenge Kasatkina posed throughout the contest.
Returning after Wimbledon
Rybakina explained her eagerness to return to competition following the gap after Wimbledon. “I’ve been practicing for a couple of weeks and it felt that it’s time to play matches finally,” she noted, emphasizing her desire to regain rhythm through tournament play.
Serve and technical adjustments
The Kazakh player identified her serve as an area needing improvement. “Definitely, I want to see better serve percentage… today in key moments it worked, but still the percentage is quite low,” she admitted. She described how ball toss, rhythm, wind, and even aging balls can affect consistency, stressing the importance of small technical details.
Views on WTA testing
Asked about the WTA’s new gender testing policy, Rybakina kept her response measured. “If we got to do it, we will do it… I think it was without this test also fine, but if we need to do it, we will do it,” she said, indicating acceptance without strong opposition.
Confidence on hard courts
Rybakina reflected on her success earlier in the season, including winning Melbourne and reaching the Indian Wells final. “I feel like I can play good on all the surfaces… I’m happy to be back definitely on hard court since the hard court season generally is longer,” she explained, stressing preparation and mentality as key factors.
Preparation across surfaces
She acknowledged that her clay and grass campaigns had not delivered the desired results but insisted effort was not lacking. “We did everything possible, but it wasn’t enough… sometimes it takes longer for me to get used to the surface,” she said, adding that confidence often depends on match rhythm and physical readiness.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31QHp69ky_w
WTA Toronto - Elena Rybakina's projected path
Rybakina in Toronto, ranking, and results in 2026
Now the world no.2 (career-high), the Kazakhstani owns a compiled 35-11 match record in 2026. Rybakina is competing in Toronto where she conquered the world no.61 Daria Kasatkina 6-3 5-7 6-4.
Elena Rybakina will take on the world no.31 Ann Li in the 3rd round on Friday at 12:30 pm on CENTRE COURT. They have never played each other so far in top events.
The Kazakhstani has won 2 titles in 2026 at the Australian Open and Stuttgart.
Rybakina won 13 titles in her career: 6 on hard courts, 5 on clay courts, 1 on indoor courts and 1 on grass courts. (See the list of her titles)
Daria Kasatkina in 2026
Now ranked no.61, the Australian played her last match on the 5th of August when she lost to world no.2 Elena Rybakina 6-3 5-7 6-4 in the 2nd round in Toronto (draw).
Currently, during this season Darya has achieved a 20-16 record. Darya conquered 1 title in the La Bisbal D’Emporda.
Elena Rybakina and Daria Kasatkina played each other 6 times. Their current head to head is 4-2 for Rybakina.
