Advertising

If Elena Rybakina wasn't on the radar of fans before last week then she should be now. The 20-year-old won her first career WTA title by defeating Patricia Maria Tig in dominant fashion, 6-2, 6-0, in the final of the Bucharest Open.

Advertising

This was only Rybakina's third WTA main draw appearance of 2019 and the first final of her career, yet if anyone has followed the Kazakhstani player closely, then her victory should come as no surprise.

Rybakina has hit milestone after milestone this year, including winning three ITF titles, reaching her second career quarterfinal, in Istanbul, earning her first main-draw Grand Slam appearance, and now, with this win in Bucharest, she will cement herself in the Top 100 for the first time.

Advertising

She's all the way up to No. 65, and has already had to return to the court, winning her opener this week in Jurmala, Latvia.