Laura Robson thinks Iga Swiatek failed to come up with a Plan B after Elena Rybakina made the right changes and adjustments in their WTA Finals match and that led to the Pole hitting "the panic mode" and ultimately losing.
After crushing Madison Keys 6-1 6-2 in her opening match in Riyadh, the Polish tennis star also got off to a comfortable start to her second match after opening an early 3-0 lead and taking the first set with a 6-3 scoreline.
At that point, probably no one would have believed that Swiatek would win only one game for the rest of the match. But exactly that happened as Rybakina absolutely dominated the second and third sets to complete a 3-6 6-1 6-0 victory. In the third set, the Pole had game points in only one game and failed to earn any break point chances.
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Robson: Swiatek didn't anticipate Rybakina's changes, then hit the panic mode
She did not anticipate the changes Rybakina made after the first set. From there, thats where the panic mode was hit by Swiatek. She just felt like she couldnt do anything out there. You could see she was talking to Wim Fissett (her coach) and lots of hands signals. That was not a good sign," the former British tennis player said on Sky Sports.
Serving to Swiateks backhand made a difference. Then, the willingness to compete when the rallies were over three shots was an issue. Its tough when you are being outplayed. On a court like this, when its bouncing up so much, she probably didnt know what the tactics would be. It didnt really feel like there was a Plan B, but so much of that was to do with how well Rybakina was playing.
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As mentioned above, the fact that the Pole easily won her opening match and made a strong start against the Kazakh only makes her collapse even more baffling.
Rybakina has sealed a WTA Finals semifinal spot with her 2-0 record, while Swiatek stands at 1-1 and will need to beat Amanda Anisimova in her group-stage finale.
