Elena Rybakina's strong form continues after the Kazakh ousted this year's two-time Grand Slam finalist Amanda Anisimova 6-3 6-1 to kick off her WTA Finals campaign with a very impressive win.
The Kazakh, who won the WTA 500 tournament in Ningbo two weeks ago and made the Tokyo semifinal last week before pulling out of the tournament, broke Anisimova in the first and ninth games of the match to routinely take the first set.
After dominating the first set, Rybakina continued with her clean tennis in the second set as she broke the Wimbledon and US Open runner-up in the second and sixth games en route to getting the job done in two sets, in just 57 minutes of play.
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Since Rybakina pulled out of her Tokyo semifinal match versus Linda Noskova, that didn't officially count as a loss. With that being said, the 2022 Wimbledon champion is currently on a seven-match winning streak.
In her next WTA Finals match, the Kazakh tennis star will take on Iga Swiatek, who defeated Madison Keys earlier today. On the other side, Anisimova will meet Keys.
Rybakina quickly adjusted to the fast Riyadh conditions
Upon arriving in Riyadh and practicing there for the first time, the Kazakh noted that the conditions at the WTA Finals weren't anything similar to the ones she experienced in Asia.
"I think that the tactic is very important because you play against best players. Everybody is strong. Everybody has good shots, good serves. I think it's important. I would say that here, of course, the conditions is much different from where I just came, Japan. I had only two days to practice. I would say that the ball is flying very fast. It's also I think altitude here a little bit. So it is quite fast. It's not easy to control the ball," Rybakina explained in her pre-tournament presser.
