Rybakina downs Swiatek to enter semis, Anisimova beats Keys in WTA Finals
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina in action during her WTA Finals group match against Poland's Iga Swiatek on Nov 3.
PHOTO: AFP
Follow topic:
- Elena Rybakina defeated Iga Swiatek 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 at the WTA Finals, overcoming a first-set deficit and Swiatek's 36 unforced errors.
- Amanda Anisimova beat Madison Keys 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, capitalising on Keys' 12 double faults to secure her first WTA Finals win.
- Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz will play an exhibition match in South Korea on January 10, ahead of the Australian Open.
AI generated
RIYADH – Elena Rybakina qualified for the WTA Finals’ last four, beating an error-prone Iga Swiatek 3-6 6-1 6-0 on Nov 3, while Amanda Anisimova beat fellow American Madison Keys 4-6 6-3 6-2 in Riyadh.
World number two Swiatek made 36 unforced errors in the last two sets while Rybakina made 17, with the Kazakh player getting her first win over the six-time Grand Slam champion in their last five meetings.
Rybakina, who beat Anisimova on Nov 1, reached the semi-finals after her second straight win.
“It was difficult to be down, but in the second set I pushed myself, the serve improved. Really happy that I stepped in and played better in each point,” said Rybakina.
Swiatek made a dominant start to win the first three games as she targeted Rybakina’s body with her serves, while the sixth seed’s backhand returns often hit the net.
Swiatek looked in control as she took the first set 6-3.
However, the Pole’s double fault and an unforced error gave an early break to Rybakina, who then held her serve with an ace to go 3-0 up in the second set.
Wimbledon champion Swiatek was left frustrated when she made three successive unforced errors as Rybakina broke again to go 5-1 up, sealing the set in her favour.
Swiatek continued to struggle, making 17 more unforced errors as Rybakina handed her a bagel in the third set.
Anisimova beats Keys
Australian Open champion Keys made 12 double faults, four times more than her opponent as Anisimova bounced back from a first-set stumble to get her first win in the WTA Finals.
Anisimova was the first to hold her serve after the match started with four straight breaks, but the 24-year-old conceded another break as Keys took a 5-4 lead.
World number seven Keys won the first set with forceful serves and built a 2-0 lead in the second, but her struggles with double faults and unforced errors allowed Anisimova to get a break back and make it 3-3.
Fourth seed Anisimova broke again, fooling Keys with her well-timed forehand, and won five straight games to take the second set.
Keys looked exhausted as Anisimova, growing in confidence and finding success with cross-court shots, took just 34 minutes to win the third set.
“It was quite a battle out there. Just really happy with the way I was able to turn around in the second set and turn that frown upside down,” said Anisimova, who was the runner-up in Wimbledon and the US Open this year.
Rybakina will face Keys in her last round-robin match, while Swiatek, who beat Keys on Nov 1, takes on Anisimova.
In the other group, top seed Aryna Sabalenka, who beat Jasmine Paolini in her first match, plays Jessica Pegula on Nov 4.
Pegula will also be seeking a second successive round robin win following her victory over Coco Gauff on Nov 2.
Meanwhile, rivals Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz will play in an exhibition match in South Korea in January, organisers announced on Nov 3.
The pair, who have won nine of the last 10 Major titles, will meet in the Hyundai Card Super Match at Incheon’s Inspire Arena on Jan 10, eight days before the start of the Australian Open.
The exhibition has previously featured some of the biggest names in men’s tennis, including Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Pete Sampras, as well as women’s greats Maria Sharapova and Venus Williams.
Organisers have yet to release information on the prize money on offer for the one-off match.
Sinner and Alcaraz met in three of the four Grand Slam finals this season and faced each other in the title decider at the Six Kings Slam exhibition tournament in Riyadh in October.
Sinner prevailed in that contest to secure a reported US$6 million (S$7.8 million) in prize money.
The Italian also lifted his first Paris Masters title on Nov 2 to reclaim the men’s world No. 1 ranking
Alcaraz had taken top spot after beating Sinner in the US Open final in September to improve his career head-to-head record against his rival to 10-5 in official matches.
The pair also met in an epic French Open final in June when Alcaraz prevailed in five sets, before Sinner gained revenge in the Wimbledon title clash a month later. AFP, REUTERS
