"It's a nice gift for myself," Rybakina relishes her victory over Krueger on her birthday

Elena Rybakina made a flawless start to her campaign at the WTA 500 tournament in Berlin. The Kazakh, who was initially set to face Zheng Qinwen, ended up playing against American lucky loser Ashlyn Krueger, ranked 33rd in the world.

In a match she largely controlled, Rybakina, ranked 11th in the WTA, ultimately prevailed in straight sets (6-3, 7-6). On her 26th birthday, the 2022 Wimbledon winner was presented with a bouquet of flowers by the tournament organizers and shared her thoughts on the victory.

"It was a very tough match, especially in the second set. It was really tight—I had chances but couldn’t capitalize on them. However, I’m very happy with how I played the tie-break.

It’s a nice gift for myself! I just tried to take it point by point. She started serving really well in the second set, so I knew I had to focus on my service games and take my chances whenever they came.

Of course, I would have preferred a day off to celebrate my birthday, but I’ll do that tomorrow (Wednesday) with my team. For now, I’m just happy with the win," Rybakina told WTA media.