WTA Finals: Elena Rybakina stuns Iga Swiatek as Amanda Anisimova eliminates Madison Keys

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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