Kazakhstan's top seed and world No. 2 Elena Rybakina defeated American Katie McNally (ranked 50) 6:1, 6:2 in the 1/32 finals of the Wimbledon tournament. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
After a tough victory in the tournament opener against French player Lois Boisson (154), Rybakina's next match was awaited with some concern. However, Elena's performance this time was commendable. Winning the first set 6:1 in half an hour, the Kazakhstani player broke at the start of the second set. She then confirmed it by winning seven (!) consecutive games.
McNally, who had been level with Rybakina in head-to-head meetings (1:1) before this match, desperately tried to find a counter-strategy. But competing with Elena that evening was impossible. 6:1, 6:2 in 1 hour 10 minutes. Total points won: 63:41. At the same time, the Kazakhstani player did not use her main weapon – aces were tied 1:1.
In the 1/16 finals, our tennis player will face experienced 30-year-old Belgian Elise Mertens (27), who defeated Maria Timofeeva (95) 2:6, 6:3, 6:0 in the second round. The 22-year-old Timofeeva, like Rybakina, was born in Moscow but has been representing Uzbekistan since last year.
Today at Wimbledon, a Kazakhstani derby took place. Anna Danilina, paired with Serbian Aleksandra Krunic, defeated Yulia Putintseva and Canadian Leylah Fernandez in three sets. Andrey Golubev and Aleksandr Nedovyesov will start in the doubles tomorrow, while Danilina has also entered the mixed doubles.
The Wimbledon Championships 2026 are taking place in London from June 29 to July 12. It is the third Grand Slam tournament of the season and the only one on grass.
The prize fund is £64.2 million. Champions and finalists in singles will receive £3.6 million and £1.8 million respectively.
The main draw of Wimbledon, like the other three majors, includes 128 players in singles, 64 pairs in doubles, and 32 in mixed doubles.
The reigning Wimbledon champions are Italian Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek of Poland. Sinner defeated Portuguese Nuno Borges 7:6 (7:4), 7:6 (7:2), 6:4 to reach the third round. Swiatek also advanced to the 1/16 finals, having beaten Czech Karolina Pliskova (73) 6:1, 6:3 in the second round.