The first players to qualify and be eliminated in the finals have emerged; can Swiatek avoid repeating last year's tragedy?

Overnight, the Riyadh year-end finals once again brought a dramatic mix of happiness and disappointment to the forefront.

Before the highly anticipated matches between Swiatek and Rybakina, and Keys facing Anisimova, the discussions about who would be the first to qualify from the group and who would be the first to be knocked out were very heated.

After thorough analysis, the predictions came out: Swiatek has a strong chance to be the first to advance from the group, while Keys is likely to be the first unfortunate player to be eliminated.

Swiatek is so highly favored for one main reason: her excellent form against Keys. Keys, however, is doubted largely because she has been absent from the circuit since the US Open, and many feel the strong connection she once had with tennis has faded. To many, "such a Keys is naturally not favored."

As expected, Keys lost to her compatriot Anisimova, confirming that "Miss Keys could not escape defeat."

Both Keys and Anisimova lost their opening group matches, making their clash a battle for redemption. Whoever wants to keep their hopes of advancing alive cannot afford any mistakes.

Clearly aware of the match's importance, both players fully recovered from their shaky group debuts. Especially Keys, who transformed into an aggressive player, taking the initiative early by winning the first set 6-4 and reaching match point ahead of schedule.

As the player under the most pressure in the match, Anisimova’s supporters in the live broadcast were very anxious. It was Anisimova’s first appearance on such a big year-end stage; having already lost a match and facing a tough situation, fans worried she might crumble under the heavy pressure.

Anisimova earned praise for her mental toughness this year, having paid her dues reaching finals at Wimbledon and the US Open. Under immense pressure, she quickly stabilized and demonstrated excellent psychological resilience and fighting spirit, returning the favor with a 6-3 second set win over Keys. In the decisive final set, she raised her level and dominated, crushing Keys 6-2 to seal the victory.

This inspiring comeback not only kept Anisimova’s hopes of advancing alive but also made Keys the first player confirmed eliminated from this year’s Riyadh year-end finals.

Anisimova’s win over Keys was not surprising, but the manner in which Swiatek lost to Rybakina has left many people baffled, with many asking, "How exactly did the Polish player lose?"

Swiatek was heavily favored before the match, not only due to her excellent form in the group opener but also because she had remained undefeated against Rybakina this season.

Especially after Swiatek took the first set 6-3 with a commanding start, the confidence in Rybakina among fans and netizens dropped almost to zero.

Just when the outcome seemed certain, Rybakina staged a remarkable comeback from the brink, winning the next two sets 6-1 and 6-0 to overturn Swiatek, shocking the public!

From being the unanimous favorite before the match to being completely outplayed by Rybakina, many found the result unbelievable and wondered why the Polish player lost so badly—truly puzzling.

Rybakina’s poor start in the first set was not due to her form but because Swiatek’s serve was nearly flawless with a 90% first-serve success rate, combined with perfect offense and defense, which kept the Kazakh player tightly controlled and allowed Swiatek to edge the first set.

Starting from the second set, Rybakina improved her first-serve percentage and showed exceptional form in return and baseline play, leaving Swiatek unable to find any solutions despite her best efforts. Additionally, Swiatek’s inability to control her errors led to such a heavy loss in the final two sets.

Swiatek’s defeat has put her group stage qualification in serious jeopardy. In her next match against Anisimova, she must win to secure second place in the group; otherwise, she risks repeating last year’s failure to advance from the Riyadh year-end finals, facing the same tragic outcome again.

Can Swiatek prevent last year’s tragedy from happening to her again? Many believe in the Polish player, reasoning that Swiatek usually does not stumble twice in the same place.

However, Anisimova, who currently has hope of advancing, clearly wants this opportunity too, which naturally adds difficulty to Swiatek’s chances. It seems the upcoming matches at the Riyadh year-end finals will only get more exciting and suspenseful.(Source: Tennis Home; Author: Moonlight River’s Starry Sky)