Elena Rybakina serves Iga Swiatek a bagel to stay perfect at the WTA Finals

Elena Rybakina claimed a convincing victory at the WTA Finals against World No. 2 Iga Swiatek and stands on the verge of qualifying for the semifinals for the first time in her career. The 2022 Wimbledon champion staged an incredible comeback against the Pole, taking 12 of the last 13 games to secure the win with a score of 3-6, 6-1, 6-0.

In her two previous appearances at the WTA Finals, Rybakina was eliminated in the Round Robin stage—on both occasions with a 1-2 record. This time, she already holds two consecutive wins after defeating Amanda Anisimova in straight sets in her debut—in addition to nearing a return to the Top-5.

On the other side, Swiatek struggled significantly with her second serves and performed poorly on important points. The Pole will need to recover for her last match, where she will obligatorily need a win against Amanda Anisimova if she wants to qualify.

It was a first set that quickly tilted in favor of Swiatek, who saved a break point against her in her first game and immediately responded with a break in her favor on her first opportunity. The six-time Major champion took the lead up to 3-0, even securing another pair of break opportunities that she could not convert.

Both players stabilized their serve over the next few games, with no more break points played for either side. Swiatek won 90% of the points with her serve—and a total of 75% of service points—before closing the set 6-3.

Things quickly took a new turn, with a Rybakina who looked more secure on her serve, increasing her first-serve efficiency from 69% to 70%. The World No. 6 secured an early break that put her ahead 3-0 against an erratic Swiatek, who committed 19 unforced errors in the second set while hitting only 4 winners.

This quickly led to a double break in Rybakina's favor. She maintained her lead with strong service games—without facing a break point again—and ended up taking the set 6-1. The Kazakh player closed out the commanding set by winning 74% of service points against a poor 47% from her opponent.

Everything would be decided in the third set, but things were even more unbalanced. Rybakina had taken the momentum of the match and did not let up on her serve. In an impressive third set, the 26-year-old star claimed three consecutive breaks on just four opportunities and remained solid on her serve, facing no break points and conceding only four points while serving.

Rybakina gave the World No. 2 a taste of her own medicine, closing out the victory with a bagel. The former Wimbledon champion sealed the 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 win and is close to leveling the head-to-head record against Swiatek, who now leads 6-5.

In the third matchday, Rybakina will face Madison Keys, while Świątek will play Amanda Anisimova—a rematch of their recent US Open quarterfinal (won by the American) and the Wimbledon final (famous for Świątek's double bagel).

If Anisimova defeats Keys this afternoon, Rybakina will automatically qualify, while Świątek and Anisimova will fight for the second spot. Otherwise, everything will be decided on the final matchday, where only a disaster could keep the Kazakh player out of the semifinals.