Rybakina Starts Strong at Queen’s

Rybakina faced the qualifier and local favorite Watson in the second round of the Queen’s tournament.

The 2022 Wimbledon winner showed no nerves in defeating the British player. Comfortable on this surface, the Kazakh delivered a strong serving performance, winning 83% of points after her first serve. Her opponent, meanwhile, earned seven break points—five of them in the second set—but failed to convert any. Rybakina secured the victory in 1 hour and 22 minutes with a score of 6-4, 6-2.

With this win, she solidifies her status as the tournament’s fourth seed and advances to the quarterfinals in London. This season, the 25-year-old has already claimed the WTA 250 title in Strasbourg and reached the semifinals of the WTA 1000 in Dubai. This latest triumph brings her 2025 win tally to 23.