PARIS – Elena Rybakina was only three months old when Serena Williams won the first of her 23 Grand Slam singles titles in 1999.
On Sunday the Moscow-born player, who represents Kazakhstan, halted the American’s bid for a record-equalling 24th with a 6-3 7-5 win to reach the quarter-finals of the French Open.
There was no big celebration though from the 21-year-old whose reaction was as if she had just finished a practice session, rather than beating a true great of the sport in her first ever match against her.
From the moment Rybakina polished off her first two service games without dropping a point she looked completely unfazed by the reputation of the player across the n…
Keep on reading: French Open: Rybakina stays cool after win over Serena