RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — In a thrilling showdown, Elena Rybakina clinched her spot in the WTA Finals semifinals for the very first time, triumphing over Iga Swiatek with a scoreline of 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 on Monday.
This exciting result, coupled with Amanda Anisimova’s victory against Madison Keys in their highly anticipated American duel, sets the stage for Swiatek and Anisimova to clash on Wednesday for a coveted semifinal berth.
Previously, Swiatek dominated Anisimova in the Wimbledon final, sweeping her aside 6-0, 6-0, but Anisimova turned the tables in the U.S. Open quarterfinals, eliminating Swiatek with a 6-4, 6-3 victory.
Meanwhile, Australian Open champion Keys, holding a 0-2 record, has been eliminated from contention for the semifinals.
Ranked No. 6, Rybakina has successfully advanced past the round-robin stage for the first time in her third appearance at the WTA Finals. She has carried her impressive momentum from Asia, marking eight consecutive wins and capturing 10 of her last 11 matches.
Despite having lost her last four encounters with the No. 2-ranked Swiatek, Rybakina shook off her early nerves. Swiatek initially seized the first set with just a single break.
However, Rybakina regrouped, serving stronger as Swiatek began to falter. The Polish star, who made six unforced errors in the first set, saw that number surge to 36 across the final two sets.
In another gripping match, No. 4 Anisimova overpowered No. 7 Keys, breaking her serve six times to secure a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory.
Although Keys gained an early advantage in the second set after a shaky start to the first, Anisimova rallied back, winning the last four games of the second set and finishing strong with the last six games of the match.
