By Richard Pagliaro Monday, November 3, 2025
Photo credit: Matthew Stockman/Getty for WTA
No victory in four encounters Iga Swiatek this season, Elena Rybakina He went to court with a desire for revenge.
Rybakina scored a resounding victory in a statement from Riyadh today as she issued a declaratory no-show to bagel queen Swiatek.
Rybakina won nine consecutive games in the WTA Finals, defeating Swiatek 3-6, 6-1, 6-0, completing a huge comeback.
After losing serve in the first set, Rybakina put the hammer in the hands of the second seed. Rybakina force-fed Swiatek bagels in her first set since losing 4-6, 6-4, 0-6 to American Emma Navarro at the China Open in Beijing last month.
This is Rybackia’s first victory over Swiatek since the 2024 Stuttgart semifinals. Rybakina not only serves sharply, but has broken Swiatek’s serve in five of her last six service games. Overall, Rybakina won 14 of 23 second-serve points and converted five of seven break points.
“It’s always very difficult to play against Iga – she brings so much intensity to the court,” Rybakina told Andrew Krasny. “She started the game really well. She cracked me up. It’s hard to get frustrated.
“I pushed myself in the second set and my serve improved… I’m very happy with the performance. Thank you very much for your support.”
Rybakina was the last woman to qualify for the Elite Eight in Riyadh and is now the front-runner to advance to the semi-finals. In the round-robin Serena Williams group, Rybakina improved her record to 2-0, including 4-1 in sets.
On the first day of competition, Rybakina defeated Amanda Anisimova’s forehand with a score of 6-3, 6-1. If Anisimova defeats Madison Keys in today’s second round-robin match, Rybakina will qualify for the last four.
Resilience, a strong serve and her willingness to attack Swiatek’s forehand flank and force the Pole to counter the deep forehand corner were key elements in Rybakina’s impressive comeback win today.
“Mentally, I definitely stayed focused, whether I lost the first set or not, I still tried to stay aggressive,” Rybakina said. “I tried to follow the strategy and focus more on my serve. I gained some confidence in the second set to get ahead and everything went my way.”
Definitely a comeback! @lenarybakina Defeated Swiatek 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 and won his first victory this year. #WTAFinalsRiyadh pic.twitter.com/DMclMlJwOP
— WTA (@WTA) November 3, 2025
Swiatek saved a break point in the first set before sealing the victory and scoring 11 consecutive points.
Swiatek expanded the court area with a forehand twisting topspin and made consecutive mistakes to lead 2-0.
The Wimbledon champion led 3-0 after 11 minutes of play.
Rybakina’s serve became more effective as the match progressed. However, Swiatek’s excellent movement and consistency helped her maintain her lead.
Swiatek served hard on the T stage and sealed the victory on the second set point in the 35th minute. Swiatek won 90 percent of her first-serve points and used a slice serve to significantly lower the T-ball score in the first set.
Although Rybakina doubled Swiatek’s winning score 10-5 in the opener, she also committed 11 unforced errors (17-6).
After getting rid of the first set, Rybakina started the second set more powerfully. Although Swiatek had more forehand topspin than anyone in the quarter-finals of Biriyadh, clean clearance became an issue. Swiatek double-faulted into the net and faced a break point, then hit a forehand to the bottom of the net, and Rybakina broke serve in the second game.
Rybakina hit an ace on the T stage to take a 3-0 lead in the second set.
Overall, the No. 6 seeds did a better job of mixing up serve spin. At times, Rybakina served confusingly on the ad side and hit a T-shape at deuce, while her other tricks of accelerating down-slices unsettled Swiatek. Rybakina replaced the pole position with a long ball and a forehand winner to chase the score to 4-1.
The second seed made three errors in a row, and Rybakina broke serve again, 5-1.
On the second set point, Rybakina ended the second set in the 68th minute, forcing a decider. Swiatek spoiled his own career by committing 19 unforced errors in the second set and 17 in the third.
In the final set, Rybaking was calling the shots and the husky Swiatek couldn’t stay in sync. Swiatek didn’t seem to believe he could sustain a prolonged confrontation and tried to squeeze the shot closer to the baseline.
The result is pain and punishment.
Swiatek’s sliding forehand extended the score, and Rybakina broke serve to start the decider.
After two games, Rybakina hit a backhand from the middle and hit a deep backhand to break serve again, making the score 3-0.
Even in the rare situation of being forced to defend, Rybakina turned from defense to offense, leading 4-0 with a 15-point forehand cross-court winner.
At this point, the former Wimbledon champion has largely defeated Swiatek’s desire. Rybakina scored 12 of the final 15 points.
Swiatek’s performance got even worse at match point when Rybakina hit an ace on the T-stage to end her four-game losing streak against the Pole in 1 hour and 37 minutes.
“I’ve been playing really well the last few weeks,” said Rybakina, who qualified ahead of Indian Wells champion Mira Andreeva. “First of all, I’m improving every game and here are the results.
“Even here, I try to pay attention to the little details. I’m really excited for the next game and hopefully I can bring the same intensity and the same game.”
