Elena Rybakina and Caroline Garcia complicated things but ultimately managed to edge out Simona Halep and Jasmine Paolini 7-6 (5) at the World Tennis League.
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In the opening rubber of the Team Falcons and Team Kites tie, the Kazakh and the Frenchwoman trailed early but quickly erased the deficit and appeared to be heading toward a routine win in Abu Dhabi.
But then, they failed to realize any of their two match points on their serve at 5-3.
Luckily for Rybakina and Garcia, they were able to step up in the tie-break and avoid a heartbreaking loss to Halep and Paolini, who beat Iga Swiatek and Paula Badosa a day earlier.
Now, the sixth-ranked Kazakh and the Romanian two-time Grand Slam champion will meet in singles. It will be their first clash since the Kazakh triumphed in their 2022 Wimbledon semifinal en route to becoming a Grand Slam champion.
How Rybakina & Garcia overcame Halep & Paolini?
The opening two games went to deuce - and per rules at the World Tennis League - a deciding point had to be played. And both times, the Romanian and the Italian delivered to open an early 2-0 lead.
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After losing back-to-back tight games, it didn't take long for the Kazakh and the Frenchwoman to bounce back as they responded by clinching two breaks in a row and winning the next four games to go 4-2 up.
But then, another twist happened as Rybakina and Garcia had a poor service game - they got broken back in the seventh game - but earned another break in the eighth game to open a 5-3 lead.
With a chance to serve out for the match, they opened a 40/30 lead - had two consecutive match points - but failed to realize as Halep and Paolini won their third game via a deciding point before eventually forcing a tie-break.
Early in the tie-break, Rybakina and Garcia were 1-3 down but managed to win the following four points and take a 5-3 lead before converting their fourth match point to finally seal the win.
