Silicon Valley Classic: Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina knocked out by Daria Kasatkina in the opening round

World No. 12 Daria Kasatkina stood firm despite an early barrage from Elena Rybakina. She back from a set down to beat her Russian opponent with a third set bagel.

Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina dominated the opening set, firing 15 to 12 unforced errors compared to two winners and 11 unforced errors by her Russian opponent to win the first set 1-6.

Daria Kasatkina found her rhythm in the second set and began dragging Elena Rybakina into long rallies. She broke the serve of the Russian opponent for the first time into a five-deuce game to gain a 3-1 lead.

The 25-year-old Russian continued with her winning momentum to win the second set 6-1, sending the match into a decider before securing her victory with a third set bagel.

Daria Kasatkina committed nine unforced errors in the last two sets compared to 36 by Rybakina and won 12 of the previous 14 games to book a second-round spot.

In a post-match interview, Daria Kasatkina said, "I was trying to be more consistent first of all because Elena is an incredible player. She just won a Slam and she's one of the most aggressive players on tour. What I can do is make her miss. It's the best that I can do."

Daria Kasatkina has had an excellent season, having advanced to the French Open and Rome Open semifinals. She will face Taylor Townsend of the United States in the second round of the WTA 500 tournament.

Taylor Townsend advanced to the second round after beating Storm Sanders of Australia in straight sets 6-1, 6-4 at the outdoor hard court in California.

Taylor Townsend served seven aces, won 77% of the points on the first serve and broke the serve of her Australian opponent three times from five opportunities compared to just one ace.