Anisimova stuns Swiatek to reach WTA Finals semis

Amanda Anisimova of the United States rallied past World No. 2 Iga Swiatek 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-2 on Wednesday to secure a semifinal berth at the WTA Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The fourth-seeded Anisimova overcame Swiatek in a tense, winner-take-all match that lasted two hours and 36 minutes — the longest of the tournament so far.

Anisimova saved all four break points she faced and broke Swiatek’s serve in the closing stages of the second and third sets to complete the comeback.

She edged Swiatek 107-103 in total points in the tightly contested match, marking a historic collapse for the Pole, who lost after winning the first set for the first time in her career.

“Honestly, I did everything I could today, so like no regrets,” Swiatek said.

“I felt like I was really in the zone, positive mindset. I fought and really didn’t give up — it wasn’t enough, which makes me sad.”

The victory made Anisimova the only player this season to defeat the top three players in the WTA rankings: No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, No. 2 Swiatek, and No. 3 Coco Gauff.

Next, Anisimova will face sixth-seeded Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, who beat Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-4, 6-4 to sweep her round-robin matches in the Serena Williams Group.

Rybakina needed just 73 minutes to dispatch Alexandrova and extended her winning streak to nine matches following her recent title at the Ningbo Open in China.

“Every match I play, I want to win,” Rybakina said.

“Each win gives you confidence, so I’m really happy with that for now. The last few matches have been great and hopefully I can continue that.”

Rybakina served eight aces, saved five of six break points, and converted three of four break opportunities in her dominant performance.

She had been scheduled to face Madison Keys in her final group match, but Keys withdrew hours before due to a viral illness.

“Really disappointed to not be feeling my best and ultimately having to withdraw from the tournament,” Keys said in a statement.

“Huge accomplishment to make it this far and very proud of myself for doing that and having a great year. I hope to be back next year.”

Thursday’s action continues with the Stefanie Graf Group, where No. 1 seed Sabalenka (2-0) will face No. 3 Gauff (1-1), while No. 5 Jessica Pegula (1-1) meets No. 8 Jasmine Paolini (0-2).

Paolini is the only player in her group already eliminated from semifinal contention.