Swiatek and Rybakina earn dominant WTA Finals wins

On the opening day of the WTA Finals in Riyadh, Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina won the match-opening match.

Madison Keys, the reigning Wimbledon champion, defeated in 6-1, 6-2, to defeat reigning champion Swiatek in the season-ending Finals.

In the other match of the Serena Williams Group on Saturday, Kazakhstan’s sixth seed Rybakina defeated fourth seed Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 6-1. The pair battled for only 57 minutes on the court.

After Keys’ error-filled debut, which was her first match since losing in the US Open’s first round in August, victory never looked in doubt for 2023 winner Swiatek.

Swiatek, the second-ranked player, broke the American’s serve at first chance, helped by two double errors, and did not relent. By the time Keys reached a 5-0 lead, she had only collected three points.

With just one winner and 15 unforced errors in the 23-minute first set, Keys, who finally won her first major title in January, held serve at the third attempt to temporarily halt Swiatek’s progress.

Swiatek, a six-time major winner, maintained her momentum with a break in set two before a poor focus in set three gave Keys a chance to regain her composure.

However, Keys’ two more double errors gave her opponent the lead, and Swiatek won five of the final six games to seal an unavoidable victory.

In a clinical display of serve, Rybakina hit seven aces and won 87% of her points in her first serve.

The 2022 Wimbledon champion beat Wimbledon’s and US Open’s runner-up Anisimova to earn four of her five break point victories.

Rybakina, who won the Ningbo Open in October to place her in the Finals, is the player with the most WTA-level victories since the US Open’s conclusion.

In her follow-up interview, Rybakina stated, “I knew I needed to serve well. I’m very pleased with my performance, and I’m hoping to keep doing so all week.

Two groups of four compete in a round-robin format, with three points awarded for each victory.

The group’s top two players or doubles pairs advance to the knockout stage. The head-to-head winner advances if the rivals are tied.

Aryna Sabalenka, the 2024 champion and French Open champion, Jessica Pegula, and Jasmine Paolini are the top seeds in the Stefanie Graf Group, which will take center stage on Sunday.