The 38-year-old put up a strong fight for a long time but ultimately had to concede defeat to the favorite.
Tatjana Maria fought valiantly and kept Jelena Rybakina on her toes for a long time with her varied game—but it wasn’t quite enough against the world No. 2 from Kazakhstan. Maria had to give up her dream of defending her title at London’s Queen’s Club with a 7-6 (7-4), 5-7, 0-6 loss in the round of 16 against the former Wimbledon champion, dropping out of the top 100 in the world rankings.
Maria, who had fought her way into the main draw through qualifying, quickly proved to be a tough opponent for top-seeded Rybakina in the first set. Last year, she had defeated the Kazakhstani in the quarterfinals, and now the mother of two from Bad Saulgau repeatedly forced the favorite out of her comfort zone. Maria seized the opportunity in the tiebreak against Rybakina, who triumphed at the classic Wimbledon tournament in 2022 and at this year’s Australian Open.
The second set remained a close contest as well. Rybakina had the advantage when she could unleash her power, but she also made many errors. In crunch time, the Moscow native stepped up her game. The decisive set was a clear-cut affair.
Last year, the former Wimbledon semifinalist Maria, at the age of 37, sensationally celebrated the biggest title of her career as a qualifier at Queen’s Club. Nevertheless, the organizers decided not to grant the world No. 52 a wild card this year, a decision her husband and coach, Charles-Édouard Maria, strongly criticized in the British press in the run-up to the tournament.
