Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan (left) shakes hands with Iga Swiatek of Poland after their semifinal match at the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, Calif., Friday, March 17, 2023.

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Elena Rybakina Produces Jaw-Dropping Comeback to Thrash Iga Swiatek in Huge WTA Finals 2025 Upset

Rybakina comfortably sits atop the Serena Williams Group.

Former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina delivered a strong statement on Monday, fending off an early onslaught to down Iga Swiatek 3-6 6-1 6-0 at the 2025 WTA Finals. The 26-year-old produced a groundstroke masterclass in the second and third sets to race ahead in the Serena Williams Group. She will face American powerhouse Madison Keys in her final round robin fixture on Wednesday.

The No. 6 seed had failed to defeat her Polish counterpart this year, going 0-4 up until Riyadh. There were signs that Swiatek would continue her dominant run in the opening set, as she looked the part in the initial exchanges. The 24-year-old pushed Rybakina to play defensive tennis – resulting in an early 6-3 advantage for Swiatek. However, things were about to take a drastic turn.

🚨 Rybakina earns her first win over Swiatek this year!

The No. 6 seed gets closer to sealing her spot in the semifinals as she leads the Serena Williams group 2-0 in match wins. ✍️#WTAFinalsRiyadh pic.twitter.com/2zV8D6rE5Y
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) November 3, 2025

As the second set began, Rybakina started finding her strike zone. She was taking the ball early and finding the lines, resulting in an early break. In the past, the Kazakh has struggled to cope when Swiatek has neutralized her serve and found the depth on her groundstrokes. But with a success rate of 77% on first serves and break point conversion rate of 72%, it was going to be her match to lose.

Elena Rybakina Shatters Records to Top WTA Finals 2025 Group

Rybakina needed an hour and 37 minutes to beat Swiatek 3-6 6-1 6-0. The reigning Wimbledon champ coughed up 19 unforced errors in the second set, and never regained her footing. On the other hand, Rybakina pounced on the half chances – particularly on the forehand wing. Swiatek’s count of 12 winners and 42 unforced errors means that she has become the first player in over a decade to lose three 0-6 deciding sets in a season.

Elena Rybakina defeats Iga Świątek 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 and improves to 2-0 in the WTA Finals group stage.

A total beatdown in the last two sets.

Rybakina will qualify today (as 1st of the group) if Anisimova defeats Keys up next. pic.twitter.com/r5uSPmmOdn
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) November 3, 2025

Among active players, Elena Rybakina has the second most wins against players ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the world. It also happens to be her eighth Top-10 win of 2025 – her most in a single season. After Swiatek herself, Rybakina is the second woman to claim 40 tour-level hard court wins this year. Having struggled to reach the season-ending championships, the World No. 6 is now reaping the benefits for her efforts.

Rybakina on beating Swiatek in Riyadh

“You just beat Iga 6-0… a lot of people don’t do that to Iga Swiatek..”

Elena: “I’ve been playing really well the last few weeks. I’m really excited for my next match. Hopefully I can bring the same intensity”

pic.twitter.com/ObFiHcpssl
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) November 3, 2025

“It’s always very tough to play against Iga [Swiatek],” Rybakina said after the win. “She always brings so much intensity on the court. She started really well and I was a bit slow. It was difficult to be down, but in the second set I pushed myself, the serve improved, and I’m really happy that I stepped in and played better.”

Elena Rybakina will return to Centre Court on Wednesday for her last Group Stage match-up against Madison Keys of USA.

(Image Credits: Andy Abeyta, Imagn Images)

Elena Rybakina

Iga Swiatek

Madison Keys

Tennis

WTA

WTA Finals 2025

Sankalp Harikrishnan

A passionate sports fan through and through, I am currently pursuing my MA in Global Sports Journalism. I specialise in tennis and football writing at The Playoffs News, and I have prior experience working at EssentiallySports and Sportskeeda. Born and raised in Bengaluru, India, sport was my safe space right from my childhood. After trying my hand at multiple sports and representing my educational institutions in cricket, badminton and table tennis, I found sports media to be my calling.