Rybakina downs Swiatek in WTA Finals to extend winning streak, Pegula beats defending champion Gauff

Elena Rybakina extended her winning streak to eight consecutive matches with an impressive 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 victory over second-seeded Iga Swiatek in round-robin play at the WTA Finals in Riyadh on Monday.

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After cruising past Amanda Anisimova in her opener on Saturday, Rybakina claimed her second win of the week to move to the top of the Serena Williams Group and plant a foot in Friday's semifinals.

Rybakina was the last of the eight singles players to qualify for this season’s WTA Finals, and she did so by clinching the title in Ningbo and reaching the semifinals in Tokyo in the last two weeks of qualifying tournaments of the regular season.

"I've been playing really well the last few weeks. I was improving each match and of course the results were following after," said the 2022 Wimbledon champion.

"It's a great opportunity to play here against the top players. I'm really excited about the next matches and hopefully I can bring the same intensity and the same game."

Rybakina went into the clash having lost all four of her meetings with Swiatek in 2025, and it looked like she might suffer a fifth straight defeat to the Pole when she dropped the opening set in 35 minutes.