Elena Rybakina extended her winning streak to eight consecutive matches with an impressive 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 performance against second-seeded Iga Swiatek in round-robin play at the WTA Finals in Riyadh on Monday.
After cruising past Amanda Anisimova in her opener on Saturday, Rybakina claimed her second win of the week to move to the top of the Serena Williams Group and plant a foot in Friday’s semi-finals.
Rybakina was the last of the eight singles players to qualify for these WTA Finals, and she did it 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.
“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 former 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 meetings she had 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.
But the Kazakhstani 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,” who won 70 per cent of her first-serve points against Swiatek.
“Mentally I’m happy I stayed focused no matter if I lost the first set, I was still trying to stay aggressive.
“I tried to follow the tactics from my coach and I got some confidence leading in the second set. I hope I can keep playing like this for the rest of the tournament.”
Madison Keys and Amanda Anisimova will square off later in the day. If Anisimova wins, Rybakina will officially advance to the semi-finals as the winner of the Serena Williams Group.
