“Unexpected” is the only word fans could agree on after Iga Swiatek’s defeat to Elena Rybakina at the WTA Finals 2025. Nobody saw it coming… not after the way the Pole began the match. She looked calm and in control, taking the first set 6-3. But then something shifted. Rybakina flipped the momentum completely, winning 12 of the next 13 games to seal a 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 victory. For the first time this season, Rybakina finally broke through against Swiątek after four straight losses. The result left many wondering: what went wrong for the world’s most consistent player?

When asked after the match, Swiatek didn’t hide behind excuses. “I’ll have to watch and analyze,” she said. “I just think I wasn’t that solid in getting back those fast, long shots. She was more aggressive and also more solid in finishing the rally. But I will have to watch to understand fully.” Her tone was reflective rather than frustrated – a sign that she understands exactly where her game faltered. However, she has been working on it since October 2024.

A few days prior, Swiatek talked candidly about her new coach, Wim Fissette. Although this collaboration is still new, it is already altering her style of play, particularly on faster surfaces, which have historically been her weakest suit. “Technically, for sure, the way I played on faster surfaces, the way I handled sometimes faster balls that were an issue for me in previous seasons. That was something that I felt improved totally,” she said. It’s a work in progress, but one that shows she’s actively evolving instead of clinging to what’s already worked for her in the past.

Iga Swiatek’s serve, for instance, has been a major talking point this season. Swiatek admitted that she’s been focusing on adding pace and variation. “The speed of the serve… I think I was in some kind of ranking, fifth or something, in aces this year. That’s impossible. But my serve improved. I’d like my percentage to always be consistent. That’s the next goal,” she explained with a grin. In other words, she is currently learning how to strike a balance between control and aggression, which permeates every aspect of her game. But what makes athletes like Coco Gauff and Rybakina win is Swiatek’s weakness.

Because Swiatek’s serve is predictable. Sure, it is fast, but not as fast as  Rybakina’s or Gauff’s, who thrive on pace. Hence, that predictability turns into a weakness. “We changed the position a bit with fast forehand balls … I think you can see that I serve a little better to backhands … I was very happy with that,” Swiatek said. These changes show that she understands the issue. But the good news?

She is taking it in full stride. Nevertheless, Elena Rybakina already demonstrated how the slightest modifications could make a tremendous impact, and the 24-year-old is still enhancing her performance. But after her beating Swiatek, Rybakina revealed the strategy that helped her win.

The one tactical shift that helped Elena Rybakina stun Iga Swiatek

The victory of Elena Rybakina over Iga Swiatek has not been only about strength and fortune, but also about the ability to remain composed when everything was going wrong. Since she lost the first set 3-6, Rybakina did not panic. She made it slow, concentrated on her serve, and came back to her rhythm.

“It’s always very tough to play against Iga,” she said. “I feel like she started really well the match and I was a little bit slow so the serve straight away she broke me so it was difficult to be down but in the second set I pushed myself, the serve improved.” Once she got that confidence back, she looked unstoppable.

What really stood out was how Rybakina handled the pressure. She stayed patient, stuck to her game plan, and trusted her coach’s advice. “I stayed focused no matter if I lost the first set I was still trying to stay aggressive and do what we actually talked with the coach so I was trying to follow the tactic a bit and of course focusing more on my serve.”

That mindset helped her win 12 of the next 13 games. And after four straight losses to Swiatek earlier this year, this victory meant more than just advancing in the tournament. It showed how much she’s grown mentally. Although Rybakina made progress, Swiatek’s battle is far from over.

Iga Swiatek remains in the race despite her defeat. Due to the round-robin format of the WTA Finals, the top two players advance to the semifinals after each player completes three group matches. Both Swiatek and Amanda Anisimova have one victory apiece, Madison Keys is out at 0-2, and Rybakina is now 2-0. Thus, who advances to the semifinals with Rybakina will be determined by their subsequent match. For Iga Swiatek, this is a “do or die” situation; an opportunity to transform her frustration into a triumph and show that one difficult setback does not define her.