Iga Swiatek now has a win-loss record of 1-1 at this year’s WTA Finals after falling to Elena Rybakina.
The Pole took the first set against the Kazakh star, but fell apart in the second and third, winning just one game in the remainder of the match before ultimately suffering a 6-3, 1-6, 0-6 defeat.
Swiatek beat Madison Keys in her opening match to get a win on the board in the Serena Williams group, but after losing her second clash, she will need to beat Amanda Anisimova to give herself the best chance of going through to the semifinals.
Rybakina was simply unplayable in the second and third sets, though Swiatek did not help herself with a sizeable tally of unforced errors.
After the match, former British tennis player Laura Robson told the six-time major champion how she should react to the defeat.
Laura Robson reacts to Iga Swiatek’s loss to Elena Rybakina
Analysing the bout on Sky Sports, Robson said: “It’s so impressive how she [Rybakina] did not panic after the first set.
“She got back to work and made the changes that were necessary. She took half a step back with her neutral position once the rally started, so she had some more time on the forehand to play with and what a difference that made.
“Every time she had it at a mid-court position, it was a put away. That is when you see Swiatek start to panic, when she feels she doesn’t have time and she can’t make herself known in the point.
“It was a really strong performance; the serve picked up for sure. From courtside, it was clear that she was getting more shape to Swiatek’s backhand return, but the first [serve] picked up as well in terms of speed, and she completely turned that match around.
“Only 11 forced errors when you are hitting it as big as she was, and 70% points won on serve plays on serve. The winner count also racked up in sets two and three [to 20].
“From Swiatek’s perspective, I am sure she can be disappointed, but I kind of think towards the end of the match it was out of her hands, so you have to walk off and say my opponent played too well at times today.”
Iga Swiatek matches unwanted record from 2013 at the WTA Finals
Having not managed to win a game in the decider against Rybakina, Swiatek has now become the first WTA player since Flavia Pennetta in 2013 to get bagelled in a third set three times in a season.
In the Roland Garros semifinal against world number one Aryna Sabalenka, she brought the match to a third set, but did not win a game against the Belarusian after levelling things up.
It happened again to Swiatek at the China Open, where she lost the all-important third-set decider in her round-of-16 meeting with Emma Navarro.
Swiatek will hope to bounce back in her final group stage match with Anisimova, whom she beat in the Wimbledon final with two bagels of her own.
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