Elena Rybakina (World No. 6) defeated Iga Swiatek (No. 2) of Poland in a clash of leaders in the Serena Williams Group at the WTA Finals, coming back from a set down to win 3‑6, 6‑1, 6‑0.
The performance of Kazakhstan’s No. 1 in Riyadh has been the biggest sensation of the tournament so far. Earlier, American Amanda Anisimova (No. 4) lost to the Kazakhstani player in straight sets. Then, on Nov. 3, Swiatek left the court with a bagel set on the scoreboard. The Polish player had beaten Rybakina four times in a row this season, so she probably didn’t expect an outcome like that.
The match initially went Swiatek’s way. The Polish player, who had defeated American Madison Keys (No. 7) 6-1, 6-2 in her opening match, carried that momentum forward and broke Rybakina’s serve in the opening game. She didn’t allow her opponent to break back, closing out the set 6-3. Rybakina committed 17 unforced errors to Swiatek’s six, giving the early part of the match a discouraging tone for the Kazakhstani player.
Swiatek’s game thrives on her ability to seize the slightest opportunity, but Elena didn’t give her one. Rybakina took the second set confidently, 6-1. The Kazakhstani player, calm as ever, fired one unreturnable serve after another, attacked fearlessly from seemingly impossible positions and paid no attention to the booing fans of her opponent.
Swiatek kept searching for an opening until the very end and conceded only at 0-5, losing all four rallies in Rybakina’s final, winning game. Rybakina finished with 4-2 in aces, 5-1 in breaks and 75-57 in total points won.
Nevertheless, two victories in the group doesn’t guarantee Rybakina a spot in the semifinals. There’s still a scenario in which three players could finish with two wins each. In that case, the number of sets and points won would have to be counted.
This is the second consecutive year the WTA Finals are being held in Saudi Arabia’s capital and largest city. The games take place on hard courts at the King Saud University Indoor Arena.
The total prize money amounts to $15.5 million. All participants will receive guaranteed payouts based on the number of matches played — from $60,000 to $335,000. The remaining prize money depends on performance, with a maximum of $3.9 million available in singles and $870,000 in doubles.
