Swiatek exits in a do-or-die match, becoming the most tragic girl, while Pressure Baby is dubbed the happiest loser

Following the contest between Swiatek and Anisimova, an overwhelming outpouring of sympathy for the Polish player erupted like a thunderstorm!

With Rybakina securing her spot early from the group, the question of who would be the second to advance captivated everyone’s attention, centering on Anisimova and Swiatek!

Anisimova lost to Rybakina in the first round of the group stage, and Swiatek similarly fell to the Kazakh beauty in the second round. This decisive battle would directly determine the fate of both players: the winner would become the second to qualify from Serena Williams’ group.

Although Swiatek held a better ranking and record than Anisimova, their head-to-head matches this year at Wimbledon and the US Open were evenly matched, leading fans and netizens to consider this a 50-50 contest where the steadier player would likely prevail.

It was expected that after becoming Rybakina’s "breakfast victim" in Riyadh, Swiatek would deliver a stronger performance this time, but after a tough three-set battle, she still lost to Anisimova, ending her journey at the Riyadh year-end finals.

After the match, discussions about this high-profile clash agreed that in terms of tragedy, no one in Riyadh could compare to Swiatek!

Last year, when the WTA Finals were held in Saudi Arabia for the first time, Swiatek came with the Cancun title to defend her crown, her ambition clearly written on her face. She achieved two wins and one loss in the group stage, a seemingly solid performance.

However, the final outcome crushed the Polish girl as she failed to advance from the group after tiebreak calculations, a devastating blow that felt like a catastrophe for Swiatek.

This year’s exit by Swiatek, seemingly a straightforward 1-2 record in the group stage, actually reveals a story full of sorrow upon closer examination!

In the second round against Rybakina, after winning the first set, many believed Swiatek held the advantage due to her relaxed mindset compared to the pressure-laden Kazakh player. Unexpectedly, she was reversed and lost, not just reversed but in a manner involving 'ducks and bagels.' When Swiatek admitted post-match that her "ability was insufficient," it vividly expressed her inner helplessness and bitterness!

In the third round against Anisimova, Swiatek lost in exactly the same way as the second round—after taking the first set, she was overturned by her opponent. The only difference was that this time it wasn’t a bagel and a duck.

Regarding Swiatek’s consecutive two-year experiences at the Riyadh WTA Finals, some joked that the Polish girl seemed cursed in Saudi Arabia, with each year’s group-stage exit becoming increasingly tragic.

Some outsiders link this to Swiatek’s outstanding performance at the 2023 Cancun year-end finals.

That year, Swiatek was practically unbeatable, advancing from the group to the final with straight-set victories, accompanied by memorable scenes of frequent bagels and ducks.

In the final against American heiress Pegula, Swiatek produced a spectacular display of bagels and ducks, clinching the title in a truly remarkable fashion.

But nobody expected that after the year-end finals moved to Saudi Arabia, Swiatek’s performances there would grow more unfortunate each year, as if the invincible Polish girl had vanished, replaced by what fans and netizens mockingly call the "jinxed stocking."

Swiatek’s departure from Riyadh left her supporters in tears, but another losing player, Alexandrova, was completely different. One netizen said the Russian girl might be the happiest loser at this year’s Riyadh WTA Finals.

As the second alternate for this year’s finals, after the second round of group play, almost everyone thought Alexandrova had no chance to step onto the court.

However, fortune unexpectedly smiled upon her in the end.

When Keys withdrew in the third round due to health reasons, the first alternate Andreyeva was supposed to replace her, but she also withdrew, allowing Alexandrova to make a surprising appearance.

In the match against Rybakina, although Alexandrova lost 4-6, 4-6 after 73 minutes, she earned about $310,000 in roughly an hour—over 2.2 million RMB—a huge fortune that anyone would envy, surely waking from dreams with a smile; happiness was inevitable!(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Moon River’s Starry Sky)