Mission accomplished: Elena Rybakina becomes first player through to WTA Finals semis

Elena Rybakina is the first player to qualify for the WTA Finals semifinals after the conclusion of the second day of the Serena Williams Group. This is the first time the Kazakh player has reached the Final Four of the tournament, having been eliminated in the Round Robin phase in her two previous appearances in 2023 and 2024.

The 2022 Wimbledon champion achieved a remarkable victory against Iga Swiatek in the first match of the day, coming from a set down to secure the win 3-6, 6-1, 6-0. Both players had won their opening matches, but Rybakina now takes the group lead and also narrows the head-to-head difference with Swiatek to 5-6.

The former World No. 3's triumph did not immediately guarantee her classification, as she was awaiting the result of the second match between Amanda Anisimova and Madison Keys—both first-day losers.

In an all-American clash, it was Anisimova who claimed the victory, mounting a comeback from a break down in the second set to win 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. This keeps her hopes of advancing to the semifinals alive, a feat she will have to decide in the definitive clash against Swiatek, in a rematch of their last two Grand Slam tournaments (Swiatek defeated Anisimova in the Wimbledon final, while the American was victorious in the US Open quarterfinals).

Following the day's results, Rybakina not only secured advancement but also did so in first place—a potentially advantageous position for the semifinals.

Consequently, Rybakina's third Round Robin match against Keys will have little bearing on the group's top spot, as the Australian Open champion is already eliminated, while the Kazakh has guaranteed the group lead. Even if Rybakina loses the third match, her positive record in head-to-head results against Iga and Amanda would still give her the first-place spot.

The match between Anisimova and Swiatek will decide the second qualifier. In the semifinals, Rybakina will face the second-place finisher from the Steffi Graf Group, which is currently the defending champion Coco Gauff (though only one match per player has been completed in that group).

Rybakina had only achieved a 2-4 record in her previous two Finals appearances and had never passed the Round Robin stage. She has already secured 400 points for her two victories and threatens to enter the Top-5 if she continues to accumulate wins in Riyadh.

Rybakina had an arduous task to secure her qualification. Weeks ago, she was separated by a large margin from the top 8 spots in the WTA Race, but strong performances late in the year allowed her to catch and eventually displace Mirra Andreeva from the tournament, as well as surpass Madison Keys and Jasmine Paolini, who finished as the 7th and 8th seeds, respectively.

The Kazakh has been one of the most in-form players at the end of the year. She reached semifinals at the Canadian Open and Cincinnati, quarterfinals in Wuhan, and won the title in Ningbo. In the final week of competition, she reached the semifinals of the WTA 500 Tokyo Open, which was enough to secure her qualification. She chose to withdraw from the Tokyo tournament hours later—before facing Linda Noskova in the semifinal—to begin her preparation for Riyadh.

Rybakina is currently on an 8-match winning streak (4 in Ningbo, two in Tokyo—where the withdrawal is not counted as a loss—and two at the WTA Finals). In her third Round Robin match, she will face Madison Keys, although there are already rumors of a potential withdrawal by the American due to illness, especially given that she is already eliminated. Should Keys not appear, the alternate, Mirra Andreeva, will take her place.