Elena Rybakina led Kazakhstan power through to Billie Jean King Cup Finals as Australia suffer shock exit
WTA
Kazakhstan had a simple equation during the night and that was win and they'd be straight through and would end the hopes in particular of Australia at the Billie Jean King Cup and it was Elena Rybakina's side who eased through.
Rybakina and Yulia Putintseva put on a show the day before defeating Australia 2-1 in the end with emphatic singles wins for both their leading stars. It was even more so on Friday as the World Number 10 eased past Yuliana Lizarazo 6-1, 6-2 in only 55 minutes to improve her record to 9-1 in the event.
Putintseva was the star of the show though as she hammered Valentina Mediorreal who endured a horror debut losing 6-0, 6-1 in just over 37 minutes. The latter won only 14 points and only three on her first serve.
With the finals now being confirmed to be heading to Shenzhen, Rybakina spoke of excitement. "We're super happy and excited to play (the finals) in Shenzhen," said Rybakina.
"We had great support and the president of our association was here, so really nice to be here all together.
"We were focusing of course on singles to get the wins... super happy to get them in such a competent way."
They booked their spot alongside hosts China and defending champions Italy with a tie to spare as it will now be a dead rubber between Colombia and Australia. They now move onto the playoffs in November alongside the best performers from the Group I events also taking place this week.
These play-off winners earn their spots in the 2026 qualifiers. Australia in particular are a shock but they were in a tough group and can't count on Daria Kasatkina yet. While Maya Joint in particular is a superb rising star, the effect of not having players like Kasatkina and even Ajla Tomljanovic can be felt with Kazakhstan of course bringing a full strength side.
Rybakina decided not to play Stuttgart next week to help the cause and they have now been rewarded with a finals spot.
Match Statistics Rybakina vs. Lizarazo
| Rybakina | VS | Lizarazo |
|---|---|---|
| Service | ||
| 5 | Aces | 0 |
| 0 | Double Faults | 2 |
| 42% (16/38) | 1st Service Percentage | 54% (19/35) |
| 81% (13/16) | 1st Service Points Won | 53% (10/19) |
| 73% (16/22) | 2nd Service Points Won | 12% (2/17) |
| 0% (0/1) | Break Points Saved | 29% (2/7) |
| 88% (7/8) | Service Games | 29% (2/7) |
| Return | ||
| 47% (9/19) | 1st Return Points Won | 19% (3/16) |
| 88% (15/17) | 2nd Return Points Won | 27% (6/22) |
| - | Break Points Saved | - |
| Other | ||
| 0h 52m | Match Duration | 0h 52m |
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