RIYADH — Plenty of questions loomed as Elena Rybakina and Amanda Anisimova stepped onto the court Saturday to open their respective WTA Finals campaigns.
WTA Finals: Scores | Draws | Order of play
Who would have the upper hand in their first career meeting? Could Anisimova handle the pressure of her year-end championships debut? And how would Rybakina respond as the seasoned veteran making her third consecutive appearance?
Rybakina wasted no time providing answers to those questions and more, as the No. 6 seed broke No. 4 seed Anisimova in the opening game and never looked back, cruising to a 6-3, 6-1 win in just 57 minutes. With the victory, she joined Iga Swiatek in the win column to close out Day 1 action in the Serena Williams Group.
“Amanda, she is a great player and a tough opponent,” Rybakina said after the match. “So, I knew I needed to serve well, and today everything worked out. I was trying to stay aggressive on the return, and I got a bit of luck in the second game of the second set, so I started to lead, and it was easier after that to get an advantage.
“I’m very happy with the way I played overall, and hopefully I can continue serving like this.”
While her return game gave her the early edge, it was Rybakina’s serve that kept her in control throughout.
Her baseline consistency reflected recent form that appears to have carried into Riyadh. Across her past six matches, Rybakina has dropped just three games on serve and saved 13 of 16 break points.
She faced just one break point Saturday — late in the first set while trailing 4-3 — and erased it with an ace, one of three in the match. That hold for 5-3 set her up to bookend the set with breaks, which she did to close it out in 31 minutes.
In the second set, Rybakina held to love to open the set, then broke Anisimova again in the second game on her way to building a 3-0 lead. Anisimova got on the board at 3-1, but Rybakina won the next three games to seal the victory just shy of the one-hour mark.
Afterward, she acknowledged the fans who made the trip and reflected on returning to Riyadh after clinching her spot in the final weeks of the season.
“I’m really happy to be back,” Rybakina said. “Thank you so much for coming and supporting me today. It’s great to be here.”
The victory carries added significance on a number of levels for Rybakina. In getting the win to kickstart her WTA Finals campaign, she equaled Jasmine Paolini for the most wins on the WTA Tour since the end of the US Open, with 11.
Her season total climbs to 55, trailing only Swiatek (61) and Aryna Sabalenka (59). She also picked up her seventh top 10 win of the year, matching her career-best mark from 2023.
Next up for Rybakina is Swiatek, who she’s beaten four times in 10 career meetings. However, she’ll be looking to snap a four-match losing streak in the rivalry — all coming this season.
Anisimova will take on her compatriot Madison Keys next. Keys, competing in her first tournament in two months, opened with a 6-1, 6-2 loss to Swiatek earlier on Saturday.
A few firsts will be on the line for Anisimova in that match. Among them, her first WTA Finals victory, her first win over Keys (in their first meeting), and perhaps most surprisingly, her first career win on an indoor hard court at the WTA level.
Serena Williams Group play resumes Monday, while Stefanie Graf Group action begins Sunday at King Saud University Indoor Arena.