WTA Finals 2025 – Rybakina defeats Świątek in top-tier affair in Riyadh
After four consecutive defeats at the hands of Świątek, Rybakina came to the Riyadh meeting in excellent form and showed what she can do. Even a slow first set couldn’t derail the Kazakhstan player, who dropped just one game from 13.
“It’s always very difficult to play against Iga; she brings so much intensity on the court and she started the match very well,” Rybakina said after her win. “Mentally, I’m very happy that I stayed focused. Even though I lost the first set, I had to stay mentally focused.”
After saving a break point from the start, Świątek kept her cool and converted a break of her own for an early lead. Her brutal forehand was unstoppable at its peak, although Rybakina demonstrated her intelligence throughout the match during the longer rallies.
Świątek showed no weakness on serve, closing a set with a 90 percent points percentage on the first serve with a brutal ace. The Polish star pushed Rybakina onto the back foot, with just six unforced errors compared to her opponent’s 17 in the first set.
Rybakina held on despite dropping the first set, and after a reset at the set change, he barely put a foot wrong going forward. This time the sixth seed’s serve proved impenetrable and the day ended with five aces.
In terms of her number of first-serve points won, the 26-year-old went from 68.8 percent in the first set to 81.7 percent in the rest of the match. Świątek could not find an answer himself, and with seventeen unforced errors against three winners in the final set, Rybakina continued to deliver aces on the way to a stunning victory in Saudi Arabia.
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