Rare Australian Open Moment as Elena Rybakina’s Nail-Biting Encounter Triggers a Cheeky Smile Out of Chair Umpire

A thrilling contest at the Australian Open that seemed to go on forever has finally reached its conclusion. In a nail-biter encounter at the Rod Laver Arena, Anna Blinkova pulled off a major upset against the third-seeded Elena Rybakina. After dropping the first set, the Russian tennis player made a brilliant comeback as she won the second set, 6-4. But, more than the comeback, it was the almost half-hour-long tiebreaker in the third set that stunned everyone in the stadium, including the chair umpire.

Chair umpire taken aback by the thrilling contest between Anna Blinkova and Elena Rybakina

The former Grand Slam champion saved eight match points during her second-round defeat at the Australian Open. Anna Blinkova, on the other hand, also threw the kitchen sink at Rybakina as she saved six match points before eventually clinching a victory with a score of 4-6, 6-4, 7-6. The intensity of the tight contest, especially the half-hour-long tiebreaker (22-20), was also felt by the chair umpire as he was sighted grinning.

The official Twitter page of the Tennis Letter also shared a picture in which the chair umpire was spotted smiling as both WTA players refused to concede a match point. The tweet also stated, “The umpire in the Rybakina & Blinkova match 😂 The longest women’s singles tiebreak in Australian Open history. That’s the face of a man who can’t wait to tell this story one day.”

Even the renowned tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg took to Twitter to drop his reaction to “the nuttiest match of the #AusOpen.” While sharing a picture of the chair umpire, Rothenberg said, “When even the chair umpire is laughing before calling the score, you know something absurd is happening.#AusOpen”

The 7-6 (22-20) tiebreaker between Blinkova and Rybakina is now the record for the longest women’s Grand Slam tiebreak. After overcoming the likes of Elena Rybakina and Cristina Bucșa, the Russian WTA star has now proceeded to the third round of the Grand Slam event in Melbourne. In her next match, Blinkova will now lock horns with the Italian-seeded player Jasmine Paolini for a place in the round of 16.

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Given her recent stellar performances, do you think that the Russian tennis star can make all the way to the championship of the Australian Open? Let us know in the comments section.

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