Elena Rybakina was thrilled with her game and intensity after bageling Iga Swiatek en route to completing a major 3-6 6-1 6-0 WTA Finals comeback win over the six-time Grand Slam champion.
Swiatek, whose tendency to crush rivals with a 6-0 scoreline and hand out popularly called "bagels" is well-known, found herself on the receiving end of a bagel on Monday in Riyadh. At the start of the third set, the Polish tennis star got broken after missing out on two consecutive game points. The world No. 2 didn't have any game or break points for the rest of the match.
Entering the WTA Finals, Rybakina had been on a six-match winning streak. Now, that streak stands at eight.
Rybakina asked how she pulled off a bagel against Swiatek
Ive been playing really well the past few weeks. I was improving in each match, and the results were following after. Even here, Im trying to focus on the little details, and its a great opportunity to play against the top players. Im really excited for my next match, and hopefully I can bring the same intensity and the same game," the 26-year-old responded.
While Rybakina bageling Swiatek was impressive, it was not the first time this year that the Pole had lost a set with a 6-0 scoreline as Madison Keys (Madrid), Aryna Sabalenka (French Open), and Emma Navarro (Wuhan) also managed to do it.
Meanwhile, by beating Swiatek at the WTA Finals, the Kazakh tennis star also snapped her four-match losing streak to the Pole.
Rybakina enters her WTA Finals group-stage finale against Madison Keys by knowing that she has already secured a semifinal place.
