WHAT HAPPENED: Almost eliminated in qualifying, Clara Burel played with house money against reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina and hit the jackpot in pulling off the upset victory on Tuesday.
In the latest example of finding success by taking advantage of opportunities when they are presented, France's Burel made the most of the few chances she had on Court 12 to make a statement win at the US Open. Rybakina, the most recent Grand Slam champion, took almost none of the many presented to her in that same match, and her stay in New York is now a very short one.
Burel was consistently steady at the most important stages of the match, leading her to a surprise 6-4, 6-4 victory.
Rybakina came in with the power and the pedigree, but she also brought to the court a litany of unforced errors, making 19 of them in the first set that Burel ended up squeaking out.
The Kazakh had nine break-point chances, but converted just once. By contrast, Burel was a perfect three-for-three in her break-point opportunities. The one time that Rybakina did break, tying the first set at 4-4, Burel broke right back and served out the set in her following service game.
WHAT IT MEANS: After her maiden Grand Slam championship at Wimbledon, Rybakina has been treading water, going just 4-4 in her eight matches post-London. Three of those wins came at the WTA Premier event in Cincinnati before a loss in the quarterfinals to Madison Keys.
Burel was almost eliminated from the tournament before the main draw, as she faced a match point in the final round of qualifying against Misaki Doi. From 9-10 in that tiebreak, Burel won the final three points to clinch a spot in the main event.
MATCH POINT: It has been tough sledding for Wimbledon ladies’ singles champions when they’ve flown across the Atlantic afterward and eventually make it to New York. No woman has followed her Wimbledon title with an appearance in the second week in New York in the same year since Garbiñe Muguruza in 2017. Serena Williams was the last woman to pull off the Wimbledon-US Open double in the same year, when she pulled off the feat 10 years ago in 2012.
