Gabriela Ruse started the Australian Open fantastically, the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, winning in the first round against the 26th seed, Dayana Yamstremska from Ukraine.
Ruse won in two sets, with a score of 6-4, 7-5, after nearly two hours of play, this being the third victory in as many meetings with the athlete from the north of Romania.
At the end of the match, Gabi, ranked 79th in the WTA, gave an interview to EuroSport, in which she revealed how she felt on the court and who were the two main opponents of the night, as she played at 2 am Romanian time, 11 am local time in Melbourne.
"It's not easy to start a Grand Slam with a top 30 player, but I did my job very well today, despite the fact that the conditions were not so favorable for me because the surface was very fast, and she was hitting very, very hard. But I am super happy that I managed to win and play again in the 2nd round here.
I was up 5-1, then she raised her level, there were a few moments where I could have done more, but I couldn't... It wasn't an easy situation at 5-5, I was prepared for a 3rd set because she was already playing very well and I just tried to keep going, stay positive, and whatever happened, I was ready for anything.
I have played against her many times, I knew she could raise her level a lot because that's why she is a top 30 player, but in the end, I think mentally I was above her," said Gabriela Ruse, for Eurosport.
Ruse will find out her opponent in the 2nd round tomorrow morning, in the match between Starodubtseva (110th place in the WTA) and Ajla Tomljanovici (76th place in the WTA), scheduled not before 8:00 am (Romanian time).
Following the victory against the 26th seed, the 28-year-old Romanian will be rewarded with a check worth 130,000 euros.
D.A.