“Maybe I won too much in [previous] years,” mused the former No. 1.

Iga Swiatek departs the 2025 WTA Finals with unanswered questions after a round-robin campaign that ended her chances of reaching the semifinals for a second straight year. The 2023 champion could not turn early advantages into wins against two group rivals, leaving a season that included both highs and puzzling lows.

Swiatek opened her week with a victory over Madison Keys, but was unable to convert one-set leads in losses to Elena Rybakina and Amanda Anisimova. The defeat to Anisimova was notable given Swiatek’s 6-0, 6-0 win over the same opponent at Wimbledon in July.

She arrived in Riyadh hoping to cap a mid-season surge that began with a Wimbledon title and included the Cincinnati Open trophy on the eve of the US Open. That run lifted her from a June low of world No. 8 and projected her to finish 2025 ranked just behind Aryna Sabalenka at No. 2.

Swiatek reflected on the result and the process in a candid exchange with reporters.

Q: You know Iga, every player loses matches, and especially in a tournament like this, where there’s just the top eight players. Do you feel like you’ve gotten better this year at sort of handling disappointments, because they’re gonna come?

IGA SWIATEK: It depends. But honestly, I did everything I could today, so, like, no regrets. I felt like, I mean, really, in the zone, like I I had, you know, a positive mindset. Okay, maybe some balls went short or something, but tennis is not like, it’s not gonna be perfect.

So like, I fought, and I really didn’t give up. It wasn’t enough, which makes me sad. But like, we all need to, like, find some understanding, I guess because when you do everything and it’s still not enough, I guess it means that you just need to get your tennis better. But I felt good mentally, physically and tennis wise. It was nice looking at the conditions and everything. So, so I don’t really get why I couldn’t go out of the group. I don’t know, maybe I won too much in last year sand this is karma. It’s really hard for me to say. It feels kind of weird. It’s not like I’m expecting, but from my experiences, if I put, like, so much intensity and grit and, and I care that much, usually it kind of paid off. So, so we’ll see if I keep working, if it’s gonna payoff or not.

Her summer resurgence remains a defining element of the year, even as the WTA Finals exit raises questions about consistency heading into the close of the 2025 season.

Jessica Pegula acknowledged the quality and drama of her rivalry with Aryna Sabalenka after a 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 loss at the WTA Finals on Tuesday. The result continued a recent pattern: Sabalenka has beaten Pegula on the way to a pair of Grand Slam titles and two WTA 1000 crowns since last season began, and Pegula has now lost nine of 12 matches against her opponent.

The two said they bring out high-level tennis in each other, but Pegula again lamented falling just short, this time after being a break up in the final set. The last three meetings between them have all played out over three sets.

On the rivalry and its place in her career, Pegula said: “I do think we have really great matches, memorable matches,” she said. “I wish I won more of them … even my coaches were saying, they’re like, ‘Whenever you guys play each other, it seems like you guys seem to bring out such a high level in each other.’

“So, I feel like, do I love losing? No. But I feel like, if you asked me in 10 years, like I look back and had all these super memorable matches with her. I think it’s, it’s pretty cool. I just wish I won more of them.”

Describing Sabalenka’s intensity, Pegula added: “I felt like she just got really angry and played really well, which tends to be what she does,” Pegula continued. “I feel like when she starts getting really hyped up and yelling, ‘Come on,’ and screaming … that’s kind of when you’ve activated another level to her. So I can either go one of two ways, and I felt like it just kind of went against me today, and she played well.”

Despite the setback, Pegula remains alive in the group. With a 1-1 record, she can reach the semifinals if she defeats Jasmine Paolini, who was eliminated from knockout contention after losing to Coco Gauff in straight sets in the other Stefanie Graf Group match on Tuesday, and if Sabalenka beats Gauff to bolster Pegula’s chances.

Looking ahead, Pegula said: “I think obviously it’s going to be a bit mental knowing that I need to win the match in order to move forward in this in this event,” Pegula said. “But at the same time, a lot of you know tactical stuff [is important] in order to kind of see what I can do differently from the last time that I played her. ]”

A Wimbledon final rematch and a decisive group match will settle the second semifinal spot from the Serena Williams Group on Day 5.

Head to Head: Tied 3-3 (1-1 in 2025)

Elena Rybakina arrives having already clinched a semifinal berth after a comeback victory over Iga Swiatek on Day 3. After losing the first set, Rybakina won 12 of the next 13 games in a reversal that snapped a four-match losing streak to Swiatek and secured her path to the knockout round. That result, combined with Madison Keys’ loss to Amanda Anisimova, means the Rybakina-Keys match will be played largely for pride.

Keys had been in control on Day 3, holding a set and a break lead over Anisimova before dropping 12 of the next 15 games. The loss eliminated Keys and sent Rybakina into the semifinals. Rybakina enters this match on a hot run — eight straight match wins — and will look to maintain momentum. Keys will aim to finish a season that began with her first Grand Slam title in Australia on a more positive note.

Head to Head: Tied 1-1 (1-1 in 2025)

Iga Swiatek and Amanda Anisimova meet in a winner-take-all contest. Both are 1-1 in group play, with a semifinal spot at stake. Swiatek limps into the match after a puzzling three-set collapse against Rybakina in which she committed 36 unforced errors over the last two sets. Anisimova brings confidence after rallying from a set down to defeat Keys.

The two have split their pair of high-stakes meetings earlier this year: Swiatek delivered a double-bagel in the Wimbledon final, while Anisimova won in straight sets in the US Open semifinals. Riyadh is the rubber match.

Schedule
(1) S. Errani / J. Paolini vs. (4) V. Kudermetova / E. Mertens — Start: 3:00 PM local (7:00 AM ET)
(6) Elena Rybakina vs. (7) Madison Keys — Not before: 5:00 PM local (9:00 AM ET)
(2) Iga Swiatek vs. (4) Amanda Anisimova — Not before: 6:30 PM local (10:30 AM ET)