Iga Swiatek kicked off her debut at the World Tennis Continental Cup with an impressive 6-3 6-3 win over Elena Rybakina.
Earlier today, Belinda Bencic gave Europe Team an early lead after beating Wang Xinyu of World Team.
The WTCC is a Laver Cup-style event featuring men's and women's players divided into two teams. The event is being staged in Shenzhen.
After Bencic gave her side an early lead, Swiatek also got to business early on in her match against Rybakina and broke the 2022 Wimbledon champion twice to bag the opener.
Down by a set, Rybakina bounced back by claiming a break in the fifth game and opening a 3-2 second-set lead. But just when it seemed that the world No. 5 had the momentum on her side, the Polish tennis star impressively took the next four games and sealed the deal in two sets.
Who is Swiatek's next rival at the World Tennis Continental Cup?
On Saturday, Swiatek will return to the court to take on Wang. So far, the two have met only once - the Polish six-time Grand Slam champion annihilated the 57th-ranked Chinese 6-0 6-0 in the 2023 French Open third round.
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Meanwhile, Rybakina will play her next singles match on Saturday when she faces Bencic.
