Elena Rybakina has secured two WTA singles titles this year.
Elena Rybakina delivered a stunning performance against Iga Swiatek, solidifying her spot in the WTA Finals’ knockout stage, while Amanda Anisimova mounted a remarkable comeback to keep her hopes alive in Riyadh.
Rybakina, a former Wimbledon champion, initially struggled against world number two Swiatek in the first set but subsequently dominated the match.
The sixth-seeded Rybakina seized 12 of the final 13 games, triumphing with a 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 victory, thereby ending a four-match losing streak against Swiatek.
Later, American Anisimova’s win over Madison Keys ensured Rybakina’s advancement to the semi-finals.
“Mentally, I’m pleased that I maintained focus. I gained confidence in the second set, and things started to fall into place,” Rybakina stated.
“Hopefully, I can sustain this level of performance throughout the tournament.”
Anisimova rallied from a set and a break down to defeat her compatriot Keys 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, setting the stage for a decisive group match against Poland’s Swiatek on Wednesday.
Anisimova, a Wimbledon and US Open runner-up making her Finals debut, expressed her frustration after falling behind 2-0 in the second set but displayed resilience by winning 12 of the subsequent 15 games.
Keys did not shake hands with Anisimova post-match, citing illness as the reason.
The top eight women’s players in both singles and doubles are competing in Saudi Arabia for a total prize pool of £12m ($15.5m).
Following her Wimbledon victory in 2022, Rybakina was considered a strong contender against Aryna Sabalenka and Swiatek for the sport’s top honors.
However, despite the world’s current top two securing eight of the 13 Grand Slam titles since then, the 26-year-old Kazakh has struggled to build upon that initial success.
Swiatek had previously won all four encounters against Rybakina, dropping only one set in the process, and leads the WTA Tour in match wins this year with 62.
Despite a promising start, Swiatek found herself overwhelmed as the momentum shifted, marking her first loss after winning the first set since January’s Australian Open.
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Rybakina, who recently secured her spot at the year-end championships two weeks prior, responded emphatically after Swiatek narrowly claimed the opening set with an early break of serve.
Rybakina, the tour leader in total aces for 2025 with 480, discovered her rhythm on serve, forcing Swiatek to play defensively behind the baseline. Meanwhile, Swiatek’s first serve points won percentage decreased from 90% in the first set to 53% in the second.
A double break of serve enabled Rybakina to quickly level the score, and the outcome remained unchallenged after she rallied from 40-15 down to break Swiatek at the beginning of the final set.
A fading Swiatek was unable to impede her opponent’s progress, accumulating 42 unforced errors, with 36 occurring in sets two and three, compared to only 12 winners.
Rybakina completed a statement first win over Swiatek in 19 months with a second serve ace, extending her winning streak to eight matches.
The one-sided conclusion also marked Swiatek as the first player since 2013 to suffer a 6-0 third-set scoreline in three matches within a season.
In the doubles competition, Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko secured their place in the knockout stage with a 6-3, 6-4 victory against Italian top seeds Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini.
Subsequently, Elise Mertens and Veronika Kudermetova eliminated Asia Muhammad and Demi Schuurs with a 6-4, 6-7 (6-8), 10-6 win.
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