What happened to Iga Swiatek for the first time since January in defeat to Elena Rybakina at the WTA Finals

Iga Swiatek suffered a heavy defeat to Elena Rybakina in her second round-robin match at the WTA Finals.

Swiatek comfortably beat Madison Keys in her opening match at the WTA Finals in Riyadh, where she is one of two former champions alongside Coco Gauff.

The world number two was looking to move closer to the semifinals with her match against Elena Rybakina, who Swiatek had already beaten four times this year.

Swiatek looked set to continue her unbeaten record against Rybakina after winning the first set, but the match appeared to unfold for the Pole from there.

Iga Swiatek has something happen to her for the first time since January

Rybakina beat Swiatek, 3-6 6-1 6-0, which included winning the last nine consecutive games of the match.

The scoreline is noteworthy in itself, but it also caused something to happen to Swiatek for the first time since January earlier this year.

Swiatek has been a very strong frontrunner throughout her career, and this is the first time she has lost a match from a set up since January.

That came in the semifinals of the Australian Open, where Keys beat Swiatek en route to winning her first Grand Slam title.

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When reacting to how the match played out, former world number four and Sky Sports pundit Tim Henman was left stunned by what had happened in Riyadh.

“It was rapid fire, the first set for Swiatek but then just over an hour for the final two,” said Henman. “Who would have predicted that? There is definitely going to be a few questions for Swiatek and her team. She has won one and lost one.

“She has that all important third match but Elena Rybakina will be thrilled with that performance. We know she has the power and the pace but she had the consistency today as well.”

Can Iga Swiatek still qualify for the semifinals of the WTA Finals?

Swiatek is now left in a predicament, as she now has one more round-robin match to try and seal her fate in the semifinals of the WTA Finals.

The Serena Williams group is now led by Elena Rybakina, who has beaten Amanda Anisimova and Swiatek already.

Swiatek still sits in second place, but she will now wait for the match between Anisimova and Keys to see what she will have to do to qualify for the semifinals of the WTA Finals.

If Anisimova beats Keys, then it will be a straight shootout between the former and Swiatek for a place in the WTA Finals.

Whereas if Keys beats Anisimova, things will get more complicated for Swiatek and could even go down to sets and games for the final match of the round-robin stage.

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