Elena Rybakina wins first title in over 12 months, thanks banned coach Stefano Vukov
By her standards, it's been a while since Elena Rybakina has been a serious threat to win a tournament.
The last time she made a final was 13 months ago in Stuttgart, Germany, which was also the last time she won a tournament. Rybakina ended that drought in Strasbourg, France on the eve of the French Open, defeating Ludmila Samsonova, a longtime nemesis, 6-1, 6-7(2), 6-1.
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Fittingly, the big-serving Rybakina finished Samsonova with an ace on a second serve. She went into the final with a 1-4 record against the Russian and earns 500 ranking points from her triumph, sending the former world No. 3 back up to No. 11.
The win should give the native Russian-turned-Kazakh a healthy boost of confidence heading into the French Open. She didn't beat a player ranked higher than 19th on the way to the title, but she's been losing to players ranked far lower than that this season.
'Davide, you're here alone, but I have a good and big team,' she said at the trophy ceremony, referring to her current coach Davide Sanguinetti.
'Thank you to my fitness coach, physio, Stefano and of course thank you to my family and all the sponsors for your support,' Rybakina said.
Stefano is Stefano Vukov, Rybakina's coach of the past six years, who is serving a one-year suspension from the WTA Tour for violating its code of conduct. The WTA suspended him in February, after conducting an investigation into reports that he had been verbally abusive to Rybakina and had pursued her at her New York hotel after she sacked him before the U.S. Open last year.
In a letter sent to Vukov at the conclusion of the investigation, WTA Tour chief executive Portia Archer wrote that Vukov's violations of the code of conduct included: 'Engaging in abuse of authority and abusive conduct towards the WTA Player, including compromising or attempting to compromise the psychological, physical or emotional well-being of the Player.'
Vukov has denied any wrongdoing, and Rybakina has repeatedly maintained that he 'never mistreated' her.
Within weeks of her firing Vukov, Rybakina had decided she wanted him back on her team. But by then the WTA had opened its investigation into his behavior, provisionally suspending him pending the outcome. Last November, she hired Goran Ivanisevic, Novak Djokovic's former coach, but Vukov continued to coach her behind the scenes without Ivanisevic knowing.
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Vukov, who was in Melbourne during the Australian Open, was barred from accessing Melbourne Park on a credential and unable to enter practice courts or Rybakina's box. After Rybakina exited the tournament, Ivanisevic resigned as her coach.
Rybakina will face Julia Riera of Argentina in the first round of the French Open. Riera replaced Belinda Bencic of Switzerland, who pulled out with an injury, in the main draw.
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