Iga Swiatek Looks More Solid

RIYADH, SATURDAY — After consistently competing closely in two meetings this year, Iga Swiatek achieved a decisive victory over Madison Keys in the WTA Finals tournament. However, Swiatek must not lower the intensity of her game as this victory does not guarantee her advancement to the next phase.

Swiatek faced Keys at the King Saud University Indoor Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday (1/11/2025), marking the opening match of the women's singles in the tournament at the end of this season. In the competition within the Serena Williams Group, Swiatek won with a score of 6-1, 6-2 in just one hour and one minute.

A swift victory in the same group was achieved by Elena Rybakina over Amanda Anisimova. Rybakina won 6-3, 6-1 in a match lasting 57 minutes.

"Everything I did during practice can be applied in today's match. I tried to play solid and aggressively. I worked hard after the tournament in China to improve," said Swiatek.

The tournament in China referred to as Swiatek is the WTA 1000 Beijing and Wuhan, which takes place from September 24 to October 12. The world number two tennis player had a poor performance, being eliminated in the fourth round in Beijing and the quarterfinals in Wuhan. The defeat in Wuhan was suffered with a score of 1-6, 2-6 against Jasmine Paolini, who also competed in the WTA Finals.

The performance of the owner of six Grand Slam titles this year has not been as consistent as the previous year. She only reached the final at her tenth tournament, the WTA 500 in Bad Homburg, Germany, in mid-June, but lost to Jessica Pegula. Swiatek ultimately secured her first title at Wimbledon, which was followed by titles from the WTA 1000 in Cincinnati and the WTA 500 in Seoul.

After competing in China, Swiatek took the opportunity to train in her hometown, Warsaw, Poland. Moreover, the competition in the WTA Finals tournament is quite complex.

The tournament, which is being held for the second consecutive time in Saudi Arabia, features eight of the best players in both singles and doubles categories. They began the competition in the qualifying phase, divided into two groups. Using a round-robin format, the players compete for the top two positions in each group to advance to the semifinals.

In this format, each player must win with the best possible score as every point will affect their position in the standings. A player who wins the first match in the group is not necessarily guaranteed a spot in the semifinals, and vice versa.

Swiatek and Rybakina gained a significant boost with decisive victories in their first matches. For Swiatek, the win enhanced her confidence after a disappointing performance in China. Moreover, Keys is not an easy opponent to defeat.

Before meeting in Riyadh, Swiatek led 5-2 against Keys. However, Keys posed difficulties for her in two matches this year when they met in the Australian Open semifinals and the WTA 1000 Madrid quarterfinals. Keys defeated Swiatek at the Australian Open, only for Swiatek to retaliate in Madrid, with each match going to three sets.

In Riyadh, during the meeting of this year's Grand Slam champions—Swiatek, the Wimbledon champion, and Keys, the Australian Open champion—Swiatek played more solidly. She broke Keys' serve five times and had eight opportunities, while Swiatek's serve was only broken once by Keys. Out of a total of 87 points contested, Swiatek won 58 points, while Keys only managed 29 points.

"After today's match, I am ready to perform with the same display in the next match," said Swiatek, who will face Rybakina on Monday.

Rybakina's performance throughout 2025 has actually been worse than Swiatek's, with her best result being a fourth-round finish at a Grand Slam and qualifying for the WTA Finals at the "last minute," specifically when she reached the semifinals of the WTA Tokyo last week. After advancing to the semifinals and securing a spot in the WTA Finals, Rybakina withdrew from the tournament due to injury.

However, when facing Anisimova, Rybakina did not show any signs of injury. She played very well and earned many points from her serve, including seven aces.

"I am satisfied with the way I served today. Amanda is a good tennis player, so I had to serve well," said Rybakina, who lost only four points on her first serve.

After four tennis players in the Serena Williams Group, four others will begin their appearances on Sunday in the Steffi Graf Group. The world number one, Aryna Sabalenka, will face Paolini, while Cori Gauff's attempt to defend her championship title will start with a match against Pegula.

In the ATP Masters 1000 Paris men's tournament, Jannik Sinner is approaching two achievements by reaching the final. His victory of 6-0, 6-1 over Alexander Zverev in the semifinals brings Sinner closer to his first title at the Paris Masters. If he wins, Sinner will return to the top of the world rankings, displacing Carlos Alcaraz, who was eliminated in the second round.

Sinner must defeat Felix Auger-Aliassime to achieve both of these accomplishments. For Auger-Aliassime, a victory over Sinner will lead him to the ATP Finals tournament in Turin, Italy, from November 9 to 16. This tournament, which features the eight best male tennis players, has only one ticket remaining after seven representatives have qualified.

In the WTA 250 tournament in Chennai, India, Indonesian tennis player Janice Tjen will compete in two finals at the SDAT Tennis Stadium on Sunday. Tjen will face Australian player Kimberly Birrel in a match scheduled to begin at 7:30 PM WIB.

Then, 30 minutes after the award ceremony for the final, Tjen will return to compete alongside her senior, Aldila Sutjiadi. They will vie for the championship title against Storm Hunter/Monica Niculescu (Australia/Romania).

Tjen and Birrel secured their final tickets through semifinals that were both fiercely contested. Tjen took two hours and 24 minutes to defeat Thai tennis player, Lanlana Tararudee, with a score of 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5). Tjen emerged victorious after trailing 2-5 in the second set.

Birrel competed in a more exhausting match lasting three hours and 24 minutes against Joana Garland (Taiwan). The victory with a score of 6-7 (2), 6-3, 7-5 was achieved after Birrel trailed 0-5 and saved five match points from the opponent.

The final against Birrel was the second for Tjen in the WTA Tour tournament. In the singles event, Tjen competed in the WTA 250 Sao Paulo in September but lost. Meanwhile, in the doubles competition, she won the WTA 250 Guangzhou while partnering with Kataryzna Piter (Poland). (AFP/REUTERS)