Anisimova upsets Swiatek; Rybakina advances at Saudi Open

Post by : Mina Rahman

The latest meeting between Iga Swiatek and Amanda Anisimova followed two high-profile encounters earlier this season at Wimbledon and the US Open. Swiatek had inflicted a 6-0, 6-0 defeat on Anisimova to lift the Wimbledon crown in July, but the American reversed the result in the US Open quarter-finals in September.

The match began tightly, with twelve successive service holds before Swiatek edged the opening-set tiebreak. The decisive point came when Anisimova's forehand drifted long, handing Swiatek the set.

Anisimova then shifted momentum in the second set, increasing her aggression and securing the match's first break in the 10th game to force a decider at the King Saud University Sports Arena. She extended that advantage in the third set with a break to lead 3-1, placing significant pressure on world number two Swiatek. The 24-year-old steadied herself and closed out a notable comeback.

"My mum kept telling me, 'you've won so many three-set matches this year, you're strong, you can do it'," Anisimova said. "Playing Iga was tough but I enjoyed it… I told myself to go for it."

Earlier in the day Elena Rybakina continued her run with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Ekaterina Alexandrova. Madison Keys withdrew because of illness and Mirra Andreeva was ruled unfit to play. Rybakina — who had already beaten both Anisimova and Swiatek at this event — came under pressure from a fresh Alexandrova but produced a crucial break in the ninth game of the first set and then relied on sharper serving and heavier hitting to wrap up the second set and the match.

World number one Aryna Sabalenka is scheduled to face Coco Gauff on Thursday, both competing for a semi-final berth from the Steffi Graf group. Jessica Pegula can improve her own qualification chances when she meets the already-eliminated Jasmine Paolini.