Elena Rybakina defeated Tatjana Maria, 6-7, 7-5, 6-0 to book her place in the quarter-finals of the Queen’s Club Championships.
The top seed was two points away from defeat, trailing 6-7, 4-5 (0-30), but fought back brilliantly to secure the win in three sets.
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Rybakina had lost to Maria at Queen’s a year ago and looked to be heading to another defeat against the tricky German.
Emerging victorious, Rybakina delivered her verdict on Maria during her post-match interview.
Elena Rybakina says she knew playing Tatjana Maria would be ‘very difficult’ on grass
“I knew it was going to be a very difficult match, and especially for the first match on grass, it’s a tough opponent,” she said.
“I’m just happy that I managed to find a way.
“The first set was pretty close; of course, I was getting frustrated with the mistakes, but I’m happy that I found my way and served pretty well throughout the match, so I’m looking forward to the next one.”
Rybakina was then asked what she had learned from her defeat to Maria last year.
- 2025 Queen’s QF – Tatjana Maria defeated Elena Rybakina, 6-4, 7-6
“On the grass, you should come to the net more often, no matter the opponent,” she said.
“I feel like I had to stay aggressive, but at the same time, not rush so much, and sometimes not overhit, so I was battling with myself on which points I should go, which points I should stay, but I’m happy again that I found a way, I found a rhythm.”
Rybakina will return to play the home favourite, Katie Boulter, in the quarter-finals later in the day.
The world number two must play two matches today after rain prevented a ball from being hit on Thursday.
“I think it’s important to play as many matches as you can on grass to prepare for bigger events,” said Rybakina.
“It’s not easy to play two matches a day, but you need to adjust, you need to be prepared, I will try to do my best, and let’s see what is going to happen.”
During the BBC’s coverage of Queen’s, Annabel Croft assessed Rybakina’s performance.
“It was an uphill battle, wasn’t it!” she said.
“It was over two hours; it took her a long time to make the adjustments up against a nightmare opponent.
“There is no underestimating how tricky an opponent Tatjana Maria is, with all those slices, neutralising the ball, giving you no pace, floating balls to the baseline.
Elena Rybakina vs Tatjana Maria – Match stats
| Stats | Elena Rybakina | Tatjana Maria |
| Aces | 8 | 5 |
| Double faults | 4 | 4 |
| 1st Serve % | 63% | 59% |
| Win % on 1st Serve | 75% | 67% |
| Win % on 2nd Serve | 61% | 54% |
| Break points | 5/13 | 1/3 |
“I thought it was a very honest interview, saying she was in two minds over [when] to attack. I’m sure the overall tactic was to just blast her way through and blast her off the court, but actually, she was getting caught in the web.
“It was absolutely intriguing, and isn’t it fascinating to see a former Wimbledon champion have such problems with a veteran out there on the tour who does things so differently to every other player out there? You won’t see too many players playing on tour the way Tatjana Maria plays tennis.”
Annabel Croft rates Katie Boulter’s chances against Elena Rybakina
Rybakina passed the Maria test, but has another challenger waiting in the wings.
Boulter will receive the backing of the home crowd when she takes on Rybakina, but will that be enough?
“Katie [Boulter] is like a version of herself, she has a beautiful serve, a big serve, and big ground strokes,” said Croft.
“She doesn’t throw in so much variety; she does add in some drop shots and tries to come forward herself. I think it will be a more comfortable match in terms of how she will feel with the ball striking.
“But Katie will definitely have a chance.
“I think she’s striking the ball beautifully; she will have a crack at Rybakina because she’s had more matches under her belt already.
“You can feel a bit more freedom when you’re the underdog; you can go after her, and what a wonderful opportunity to take on Rybakina.”
Rybakina and Boulter will play their quarter-final match later on Friday, June 12, after Sorana Cirstea plays Emma Raducanu and Iva Jovic plays Amanda Anisimova.
