Swiatek: I was eliminated from WTA Finals because of retribution

The match to determine the remaining ticket in the group was tense and dramatic. During the 59 minutes of competition, fans witnessed a fierce, evenly matched battle between both sides with 12 consecutive games where the players served to win, something that rarely happens in women's tennis. In the tie-break series, Swiatek won 7-3.

After the first 23 games, no break point was successfully used, the difference came in the final game of the second set when Anisimova won despite receiving serve, thereby sending the match to set three. Here, Swiatek saved five break points, before losing serve in game four due to a double fault. On the other side, Anisimova was better in important moments thanks to some points from her backhand to end the match.

In 2 hours and 36 minutes of play, Anisimova scored 107 points, four points more than Swiatek. Both had 54 unforced errors, but Anisimova had the winner's score (43 compared to 25). The American tennis player is the first person to score more than 40 winners since 2022. Thanks to that, she took revenge on Swiatek, after losing to the Polish tennis player 0-6, 0-6 in the Wimbledon final in July.

"I did everything I could. I fought, didn't give up, so I don't regret it, I'm just sad, because my effort wasn't enough," Swiatek said. "I feel like my physical strength, mentality and playing style are all good, so I don't really understand why I was eliminated from the group stage. Maybe I won too much last year and now have to receive retribution. "

Swiatek was once considered a destructive machine in women's tennis, with a style of play rich in power, technique and discipline. She won 64 matches and lost only 9 matches in 2024, winning five titles. However, Swiatek in the 2025 season declined, losing 17 matches since the beginning of the year and losing the number one position in the world. In many matches, she clearly showed panic, easily lost direction, and at times lost motivation.

In the Serena Williams group at the WTA Finals, the two semi-finalists were Anisimova and Elena Rybakina. Rybakina will meet Jessica Pegula, and Anisimova will play world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-finals today, November 7.