A great start for Elena Rybakina, who defeated Amanda Anisimova in a duel of big forehands, 6-3, 6-1, in less than an hour of play. The 2022 Wimbledon champion begins her WTA Finals campaign, looking to advance beyond the Round Robin for the first time in her third consecutive appearance.
The convincing victory puts Rybakina in second place in the group, not far behind Iga Swiatek—who only conceded three games against Madison Keys. The Kazakh—who only conceded four games herself—will seek to secure her participation in the semi-finals in two days, facing the Pole in a bid for the group lead.
They had no previous professional meetings, although they had faced each other once. Their first encounter was 8 years ago—in the quarter-finals of the 2017 Junior Roland Garros—where a young 17-year-old Rybakina took the victory in straight sets.
Rybakina prevails in first set
In a duel between two of the Tour’s strongest forehands, Rybakina began to impose herself in the rallies from the start, taking an early break and then holding her first service game to take a 2-0 lead. The World No. 6—true to her style—always seemed composed and calm after taking the advantage, maintaining her characteristic tranquility when serving.
Anisimova managed to keep pace with her rival’s serve for several games, and at the score of 3-4, her first break opportunity arrived, but she couldn’t convert it. From there, Rybakina took absolute control of the match, getting an immediate break in the next game, which gave her the set 6-3, after winning 72% of service points—eclipsing Anisimova’s 58%.
Relentless Rybakina closes strong second set
With the score favoring Rybakina, the forehands had been a key weapon in destabilizing Anisimova, who was rarely hitting completely comfortably in the rallies. Rybakina took the lead early, with an opening break and three straight games (winning 12 of the first 15 points of the set).
The lead was 3-0 for Rybakina, and it seemed only a matter of time before she closed out the victory. Anisimova managed to defend her serve for the only time in the set—not without complications—but Rybakina never relinquished her advantage. The former Wimbledon champion maintained the rhythm and closed out the victory with three more consecutive games, sealing the win 6-3, 6-1.
Match Statistics Anisimova vs. Rybakina
Anisimova
VS
Rybakina
2
Aces
7
3
Double Faults
1
72% (34/47)
1st Service Percentage
69% (31/45)
56% (19/34)
1st Service Points Won
87% (27/31)
38% (5/13)
2nd Service Points Won
50% (7/14)
20% (1/5)
Break Points Saved
100% (1/1)
50% (4/8)
Service Games
100% (8/8)
13% (4/31)
1st Return Points Won
44% (15/34)
50% (7/14)
2nd Return Points Won
62% (8/13)
0h 51m
Match Duration
0h 51m
Rybakina sets up crucial showdown with Iga Swiatek
While Rybakina only conceded four games, in the other group duel, Iga Swiatek defeated Madison Keys by a convincing 6-1, 6-2. The 6-time major champion takes the lead of the Group Serena Williams, though only by a one-game difference.
They will face each other in two days in a bid to take the group leadership—where a straight-sets victory could leave either one of them qualified for the semi-finals. Swiatek currently leads the H2H 6-4, including all four of their encounters this year—the last of which was in the Cincinnati Open semi-finals.
