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Rybakina downs Swiatek to reach WTA Finals last four / Photo: © AFP
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Rybakina downs Swiatek to reach WTA Finals last four
Elena Rybakina punched her ticket to the WTA Finals last four with an impressive 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 victory over second-seeded Iga Swiatek in round-robin play in Riyadh on Monday.
After cruising past Amanda Anisimova in her opener on Saturday, Rybakina claimed her second win of the week to guarantee herself the top spot in the Serena Williams Group.
Also on Monday, Anisimova rallied back from a set and a break down to triumph 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in her all-American battle with seventh-seeded Madison Keys, who has been eliminated from the competition.
"Madi was playing so well, it was quite a battle out there," said the fourth-seeded Anisimova.
"I'm happy I turned things around in the second set and kind of turned the frown upside down. It was an exciting match and it was nice to have a little bit of a fight out there."
Rybakina was the last of the eight singles players to qualify for this season's WTA Finals, and she did so by clinching the title in Ningbo and reaching the semi-finals in Tokyo in the last two weeks of qualifying tournaments of the regular season.
She has now won each of the last eight matches she has played.
"I've been playing really well the last few weeks. I was improving each match and of course the results were following after," said the 2022 Wimbledon champion.
"It's a great opportunity to play here against the top players. I'm really excited about the next matches and hopefully I can bring the same intensity and the same game."
Rybakina went into the clash having lost all four of her previous meetings with Swiatek in 2025, and it looked like she might suffer a fifth straight defeat to the Pole when she dropped the opening set in 35 minutes.
- 'Aggressive' -
But the Kazakh sixth seed adjusted tactically, utilising her kick serve and big forehand to maximum effect to sweep 12 of the next 13 games and complete the upset in one hour and 37 minutes.
"It's always very tough to play against Iga, she brings so much intensity on the court. In the second set, I pushed myself, the serve improved and I'm happy I stepped in and played much better," said Rybakina.
"Mentally I'm happy I stayed focused no matter if I lost the first set, I was still trying to stay aggressive."
Swiatek will have to battle it out with Anisimova to secure second place in the Serena Williams Group and a place in the final four.
"I will have to watch and analyse, but I just think I wasn't that solid in getting back those fast long shots, and she was more aggressive and also more solid in finishing the rally, but I will have to watch to understand fully," said Swiatek of her defeat to Rybakina.
Making her WTA Finals debut this week, Anisimova was down a set and 1-3 before she seized the momentum by taking the next seven games en route to a one-hour 43-minute victory.
The result means Keys has no chance of advancing to the semi-finals. The Australian Open champion hadn't played in two months before coming to Riyadh as she dealt with an adductor injury.
G. Pires--JDB
