Former Serena Williams coach Rennae Stubbs shared an expert analysis after Elena Rybakina’s emphatic comeback victory over Iga Świątek at the 2025 WTA Finals in Riyadh. The Kazakh star stunned the tennis world with a dominant turnaround to reach her first semifinal at the prestigious year-end event.
The 2022 Wimbledon champion, competing in the Serena Williams Group, began her campaign with a solid win over Amanda Anisimova. Against Iga Świątek, Rybakina lost the first set 3-6 but bounced back with fierce accuracy, taking the next two sets 6-1, 6-0. The result not only sealed her place in the semifinals but also ended her four-match losing streak against the Polish powerhouse.
Stubbs on Rybakina’s Momentum Shift and Świątek’s Struggles
Breaking down the contest, Stubbs pinpointed the moment momentum shifted in Rybakina’s favor. “Rybakina not missing anything now. Making a lot more shots in court and Iga forcing when it’s not there,” Stubbs wrote on X.
Stubbs credited Rybakina’s precision serving and improved consistency from the baseline as the defining difference. She also highlighted Świątek’s tactical rigidity as a major setback. “The obvious improvement from Elena in serving and standard from Iga is the difference. Iga not mixing anything is what kills her in these types of matches,” Stubbs added.
With two victories in the group stage, Rybakina has now secured a semifinal berth and will use her next match against Madison Keys as valuable preparation.
Rybakina Reflects on Her Win and Upcoming Challenge
During her post-match interview, Rybakina expressed satisfaction with how she recovered after a slow start. “Yeah, it’s always very tough to play against Iga. She brings so much intensity on the court and I feel like she started really well the match and I was a little bit slow. So the serve straight away, she broke me.”
“So it was difficult to be down but in the second set I pushed myself. The serve improved and yeah really happy that I stepped in and played better each point. So yeah, I’m very happy with the performance,” she added.
Heading into her clash with seventh seed Madison Keys, Rybakina will look to extend her momentum. The pair share a 3-3 record on the WTA Tour, setting up a thrilling showdown for a place in the final.
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