Iga Swiatek has endured a mixed start to this year’s WTA Finals, where she has one win and one loss from her two matches.
Swiatek thrashed Madison Keys 6-1, 6-2 in her opener at the WTA Finals, which has returned to Riyadh this week.
There, Swiatek is the second seed, with the Pole going on to lose her second match 6-3, 1-6, 0-6 to Elena Rybakina.
Rybakina needed one hour and 37 minutes to grind out the impressive win, which has helped her qualify for the WTA Finals semifinals for the first time in her career.
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Swiatek struggled for answers against Rybakina, but former player Rennae Stubbs believes she knows where the Pole went wrong.
She wrote on X: “Rybakina not missing anything now. Making a lot more shots in court and Iga forcing when it’s not there.
“The obvious improvement from Elena in serving and standard from Iga is the difference. Iga not mixing anything is what kills her in these types of matches.”
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It was indeed a very uncharacteristic performance from Swiatek, who is usually so reliable after taking the first set.
But while the six-time Grand Slam champion has come under criticism for her display, Rybakina deserves huge credit for hers.
The sixth seed has qualified for the semifinals with a match to spare, having beaten Amanda Anisimova in her opener.
Swiatek will now look to join her in the WTA Finals last four as she finishes her group stage campaign against Anisimova.
Rybakina ended a four-match losing streak against the Pole by beating her in Riyadh, improving their head-to-head record to 5-6.
| Winner | Tournament | Surface | Round | Score |
| Iga Swiatek | Wimbledon | Grass | Final | 6-0, 6-0 |
| Amanda Anisimova | US Open | Hard | Quarterfinal | 6-4, 6-3 |
Anisimova will now be eager to take a 2-1 lead in her head-to-head with Swiatek, particularly having lost to her in this year’s Wimbledon final.
The American did manage to exact her revenge in the US Open quarterfinal en route to her runner-up finish in New York.
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