The 23-year-old, born in Moscow but representing Kazakhstan, arrived on Center Court as underdog to Wimbledon champion Halep 2019. The Romanian was back in SW19 for the first time since that triumph and looked poised to reach consecutive finals, without dropping a set throughout the tournament.
But Rybakina took 76 minutes to secure her place in a first Grand Slam final, in just her second main draw at Wimbledon, when she pushed her way through Halep in a sensational 6-3 6-3 win. She will compete against another first-time finalist in Ons Jabeur on Saturday, after the Tunisian won the Tatyana Maria variety earlier in the day. Maria brought subtlety and deceit into that match; Jabeur can expect Rybakina to bring a sledgehammer.
The last four were already the furthest Rybakina had ever made in a major, but there were no signs of nervousness as she rushed to work. A double foul gave Halep a break point, which she grabbed with a flat forehand. It was followed by a comfortable hold and Rybakina led 3-0 after just eight minutes.
She had two chances to snag a double breakup, as a succession of massive foundations smashed their way through Halep’s defenses. The Romanian saved both, before seeing a set point to keep herself in the set, at least temporarily, at 5-3 behind. Rybakina brought out three more set points and while Halep fended off the first two, there would be no more heroics. Halep’s run of 21 consecutive sets won at Wimbledon was over.
Rybakina didn’t need any presents, she played so well, but two were presented to her as she took real control of the proceedings at the start of the second set. A fifth double foul by Halep’s game resulted in a break point and a sixth immediately followed. The favor was returned in the fourth game of the set, however, as Rybakina had her first bad bout of the match and a break in love was the answer.
But Halep again proved her own worst enemy. Rybakina brought in a break point in the next game and didn’t have to hit a single shot to convert it, as Halep’s second serve broke again. Two of Rybakina’s aces allowed her to consolidate that and move to within two games of the win.
Halep stepped up to extend her tournament and served at 5-3 behind, and two runs both ended the game and summed it up perfectly. A ninth double foul came from Halep, before Rybakina grabbed a match point with both hands as she hammered a stunning backhand return down the line.