Browsing: Rybakina

Rybakina, who only secured her spot at the year-end championships two weeks ago, responded emphatically after Swiatek edged the opening set with an early break of serve.

The tour leader for total aces in 2025 (480), the big-hitting Rybakina found rhythm on serve and forced Swiatek to play deep behind the baseline, while Swiatek’s own first serve points won fell from 90% in the first set to 53% in the second.

A double break of serve ensured Rybakina swiftly restored parity – and the outcome never appeared in doubt after she rallied from 40-15 down to break Swiatek at the start of the final set.

A fading Swiatek was powerless to halt her opponent’s progress as she amassed 42 unforced errors – 36 of which came in sets two and three – compared to just 12 winners.

Rybakina completed a statement first win over Swiatek for 19 months with a second serve ace to extend her winning run to eight matches.

The one-sided conclusion also made Swiatek the first player to suffer a 6-0 third-set scoreline in three matches in a season since 2013.

In the doubles competition, Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko confirmed their place in the knockout stage with a 6-3 6-4 win against Italian top seeds Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini.

Elise Mertens and Veronika Kudermetova then eliminated Asia Muhammad and Demi Schuurs with a 6-4 6-7 (6-8) 10-6 win.

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Swiatek consolidates easily, sealing the deal with an ace,and you can feel her intensity assaulting you through the screen. She leads 3-0, and Rybakina needs to keep the head while finding some first serves.

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After putting Swiatek under pressure for no immediate gain, Iâ€d not be surprised to see Rybakina broken immediately – the respective mentality of these two is perhaps the biggest difference between them. And sure enough, Swiatek makes 15-40, Rybakina errs on the forehand, and thatâ€s 2-0.

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Rybakina starts well, hitting cleanly and through the ball, backhand winner earning her break point at 30-40;Swiatek, though, responds well, hooking a forehand winner for deuce before closing out for 1-0. Already, you can se the difference in how they move, Swiatek lithe, agile and flexible and Rybaklina a little laboured and flat-footed in comparison.

Elena Rybakina returns to Iga Swiatek. Photograph: Hamad I Mohammed/ReutersShare

Updated at 09.25 EST

…ready, play.

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Out come our players…

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So how does Rybakina win? Aside from playing well, she might want to target Swiatekâ€s sometimes-dicky forehand and deny her angle by hitting down the middle.

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Rybakina, meanwhile,needs to improve her consistency on the forehand, but also her ability to stay level through matches. Sheâ€s more than capable, but Iâ€d back Swiatek to munch her today.

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Swiatek is up there with the most relentlessly, murderously focused competitors in all sport, and itâ€s great to see her back to her best.Sheâ€s not unbeatable because there are others with more power and bigger shots, able to hit through her, but her all-round game might be the most complete.

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Preamble

Hello there and welcome to this Mondayâ€s meeting of the Gleeful Hand-Rubbing Society.

I mean, just look at whatâ€s in store. We begin with the winners from the first round of matches, Iga Swiatek – back to her menacing, intimidating best – against Elena Rybakina, whoâ€s not trained on as expected since winning Wimbledon in 2022, but when sheâ€s at it has the easy, joyful power to ruin anyone.

Likewise Amanda Anisimova – surely a future Grand Slam winner and this yearâ€s runner-up at Wimbledon and Flushing Meadow. She takes on against Madison Keys, the Australian Open champ – words Iâ€ll never tire of typing – with the loser eliminated. Iâ€d not want to be a ball in that one, which is lucky, as Iâ€m not, but even if I was, everyone else would be in for a treat.

Play: 5pm local, 2pm GMT

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Oct 18, 2025, 08:19 AM ET

Former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina ended her five-month wait to reach another final with an impressive 6-3, 6-2 victory over Jasmine Paolini in the last four of the Ningbo Open.

Rybakina sent down 10 aces but was forced to save seven break points in an 89-minute battle with the second-seeded Paolini in China.

“I knew the match would be very tough,” Rybakina said. “Jasmine has played really well this season. She’s a really tough opponent, and I knew I would need to bring my best. I’m happy I stayed focused until the end and won in straight sets.”

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After falling short in the semifinal stage of the Citi Open, Canadian Open and Cincinnati Masters in recent months, Rybakina will hope to add the Ningbo Open title to the WTA 500 event she won on clay in Strasbourg on May 24.

This win keeps Rybakina’s hopes alive of making the end-of-season WTA Finals, after Paolini missed out on the chance to seal her spot in the Turin tournament with a victory Saturday.

Ekaterina Alexandrova, who is ranked in the top 10 for the first time in her career, will face the third-seeded Rybakina in the final after defeated Diana Shnaider 6-3, 6-4.

PA contributed to this report.

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