WTA Finals: Swiatek v Rybakina, Anisimova v Keys – live | WTA Finals

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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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