Elena Rybakina reached the semi-finals of the WTA Finals with an impressive comeback victory over Iga Swiatek in Riyadh.
Swiatek had won all four meetings against Rybakina in 2025 and threatened to add a fifth when an early break paved the way to her claiming the first set 6-3.
But Rybakina roared back in style, dropping just one game for the rest of the match as she clinched the next two sets 6-1 6-0 to record her fifth victory over the world No 2.
Rybakina’s passage to the last four was later confirmed following Amanda Anisimova’s elimination of Madison Keys, and the Kazakh still has the chance to progress with a clean sheet as she next plays Keys on Thursday.
Swiatek’s future in the tournament is uncertain, however, with work desperately needed to secure her place in the semi-finals of the end-of-season event in Saudi Arabia.
“It’s always very tough to play against Iga, she brings so much intensity to the court,” Rybakina said on Sky Sports Tennis.
“She started the match very well, I was a little bit slow, and she broke my serve straight away, so it was difficult being behind.
“But in the second set I pushed myself, the serve improved, and was really happy to play better with each point.”
Fourth seed Anisimova bounced back and also recovered from a set down against fellow American Keys to win 4-6 6-3 6-2 in their second round-robin match.
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Highlights of Amanda Anisimova against Madison Keys from 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 No 7 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.
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 Saturday, takes on Anisimova.
In the other group, top seed Aryna Sabalenka, who beat Jasmine Paolini in her first match, plays Jessica Pegula on Tuesday, live on Sky Sports. Pegula will also be seeking a second successive round-robin win following her victory over Coco Gauff on Sunday.
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Highlights of Aryna Sabalenka against Jasmine Paolini in the group stage of the WTA Finals
Fearnley out in first round in Athens
Britain’s Jacob Fearnley suffered a third successive first-round exit after a straight-sets defeat to Bosnia’s Damir Dzumhur at the Hellenic Championship.
Fearnley navigated two qualifying rounds to reach the Vienna Open and Paris Masters in October, only to lose his opening matches against Alexander Zverev and Andrey Rublev respectively.
And the British No 3 fared no better in Athens as he succumbed to a 6-4 6-2 defeat to the world No 58 in 77 minutes.
Norrie through to next round of Moselle Open
However, fellow countryman Cameron Norrie saw success as he beat Valentin Royer 6-3 6-7 (2-7) 6-3 in front of the Frenchman’s home crowd to progress to the round of 16.
The number seven seed looked to be on his way when he took the opening set 6-3, but his French opponent ensured the match went the distance after fighting back to win a second-set tie-break 7-2.
However, the 30-year-old Briton flexed his muscles once again in the third to wrap up the victory in two hours and seven minutes.
Norrie will face another Frenchman, Arthur Cazaux, in the next round after his win against compatriot Adrian Mannarino.
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