Madison Keys eliminated after round-robin wins for Amanda Anisimova and Elena Rybakina at WTA Finals

Commanding comebacks by Amanda Anisimova and Elena Rybakina at the WTA Finals on Monday makes the story in the Serena Williams Group simple: The winner of Wednesday's match between Anisimova and Iga Swiatek will join Rybakina in the semifinals.

The Kazakh put herself on the precipice of a final four berth with a staggering turnaround against Swiatek in the opening singles match of Day 3 in Riyadh. After falling behind 3-0 to start the match, and losing the opening set, Rybakina dropped just one more game to defeat Swiatek for the first time in four meetings this year 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 and improve to 2-0 in the group stage.

🖥️📲REPLAY: Elena Rybakina def. Iga Swiatek, 2025 WTA Finals RR

Anisimova confirmed Rybakina's spot not just in the semifinals, but as group winner, with a rally of her own in a match between two players who had lost their opening tilts. From a set and break behind in her match Madison Keys, Anisimova won 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 to keep her own hopes of qualifiyng for the semifinals alive and eliminate Keys.

Rybakina’s win extends a dominant stretch of play not just in Riyadh, but across the last month that helped her secure the eighth and final WTA Finals berth.

She's now unbeaten in her last eight matches, and has won 10 of her last 11, with the only loss in that spell coming to world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. She also became just the second player to beat Swiatek in 2025 after dropping the opening set, a feat previously accomplished by Keys at the Australian Open.

"I think I started a little bit slower, and Iga started well," Rybakina said after the one hour, 37-minute opening match. "She was serving good, and I feel like my serve was not there, and she took a break straight away, and after I was down. So it was difficult to catch up in the first set. But again, it was only one break, and other games were very close, same as second and third set.

"It was some key moments, some tough games where it was very close and I managed to win and get the lead. And of course, after you get confidence, and it was easier for me, and I had a score where I could risk a bit more."

Anisimova also found her stride mid-match, as she won eight straight games, and 11 of 12 from 6-4, 3-1 down, to turn her first-ever meeting with Keys on its head.

The winner of the rubber match between Anisimova and Swiatek this year will advance to the knockout rounds. After Swiatek beat the American in a historic 6-0, 6-0 Wimbledon final, Anisimova got her revenge in the US Open quarterfinals also in straight sets.