The crowd in Riyadh gasped as Amanda Anisimova’s final return whistled past Iga Swiatek, cutting through the silence like a blade. Swiatek’s season—one built on grit, dominance, and unshakable control—ended not with an unforced error, but with her rival’s fearless strive. This is the first time that we’ve seen the Pole losing consecutive matches from being set up in her entire career. What did she say after failing to advance from the round-robin group stage for the second year in a row?

As she stepped up to the microphone afterward, Swiatek’s voice carried a tinge of both reflection and fatigue. It was also the first time that she had lost two matches in a row since 2021. If we take a look at this match, there were a few moments when we saw Swiatek losing her cool a bit. For example, in one instance, she was seen asking the umpire to remove a fan from the stands, claiming that the fan had been shouting between first and second serves during this epic battle. “He’s disturbing the game,” Swiatek complained.

This was her second consecutive defeat to Amanda Anisimova after her heroics at the Wimbledon final. Later on, in an interview with Reem Abulleil for AFP, Iga Swiatek summed up her performance in this match. She said, “Honestly. I did everything I could today, so like no regrets. I felt like I was really in the zone, had a positive mindset.” Swiatek said that she fought really hard in this match, but it still wasn’t enough for her to secure the victory. She’s sad, but at the same time, she has pledged to improve further. Showcasing her disappointment with this early exit, she added, “I felt good mentally, physically, and tennis-wise also; it was nice, looking at the conditions and everything. So I don’t really get why I couldn’t go out of the group. But maybe I won too much in the last years, and this is karma. It’s really hard for me to say. It feels kind of weird.”

Those words—“this is karma”—struck a chord. For someone who’s built her legacy on discipline, dominance, and consistency, Swiatek’s suggestion of fate playing its part was a bit unexpected. But perhaps it was her way of accepting what tennis so often teaches: even the most unshakable reigns can falter under the sport’s relentless unpredictability.

For now, she’ll step back, recharge, and recalibrate—because if karma truly played its part, the tennis gods might just be setting up Swiatek’s next act. 

Iga Swiatek will now return to Poland, as she has signed up for the Billie Jean King Cup play-offs. She’ll most probably be seen in action yet again when Poland competes against Romania and New Zealand in Gorzow Wielkopolski on November 14-16. 

But for the 24-year-old American, who has witnessed quite a few ups and downs this year, securing a spot in the SF of the WTA Finals, and that too in her maiden appearance, is surely a dream-come-true moment. What did Amanda Anisimova say after the match?

Amanda Anisimova reveals her mother, Olga’s, role in her recent win over Iga Swiatek 

When Amanda Anisimova walked onto the court to face the world number 2 at the WTA Finals in Riyadh, their H2H record was well poised at 1-1. But with this 6(3)-7, 6-4, 6-2 win against the Pole, she has now got a 2-1 lead. This was her tenth top 10 win of the season, and it was quite a double revenge from that double bagel at Wimbledon. First, eliminating Swiatek from the US Open and now from the WTA Finals. Truly insane stuff from the American!

After the match, Anisimova opened up about the emotional undercurrent that fueled her victory. She revealed the key words of encouragement from her mother, Olga, that helped her overcome this massive Polish hurdle. Anisimova said, “It's so funny. My mom keeps telling me, like, you know, you've won, like, so many three-set matches this year. Like, you're so strong, you can do it. So I was actually thinking about that because, you know, when you're playing so many matches, you don't even realize the stats. So, yeah, especially against Iga today, it was so, so tough, but I think I was just honestly enjoying it, and, yeah, I knew it was going to be a battle, so I just told myself to enjoy the challenge, and I think I did that today.” 

She is now the third American to reach the SF in her first appearance at the WTA Finals since 2000, after Serena Williams (2001) and Sloane Stephens (2018). Reflecting more of her feelings to enter the semis in her maiden appearance, Anisimova added, “Yeah, I mean, I'm so excited. This is surreal, especially for my first time playing here. And thank you guys for the support today.”

Two Americans, Amanda Anisimova and Coco Gauff, have claimed 10+ WTA Top 10 wins in the same season for the first time since 2002. Both these players are still active in this tournament, and guess what? Anisimova could theoretically still play against Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, or Jessica Pegula in the last four. 

What did she say about this epic battle against Iga Swiatek? In a post-match interview with Sky Sports, Anisimova said that she knew this was going to be a “tough challenge” against the Pole. Her main focus in this match was to keep her calm and try to conserve her energy. She knew she couldn’t hold back against someone like Swiatek, so she had to go hard for every shot.
Seeing her incredible performance against the former world number one, German legend, Boris Becker dropped a tweet saying, “Revenge is sweet…” Surely, Anisimova will be extremely happy with this win over Iga Swiatek, but the job is still not over. She’d like to keep this winning run intact and secure a spot in the final. But do you think Anisimova has a real chance of winning the WTA Finals title this year?

Written by

Sayantan Roy

Sayantan Roy is a seasoned tennis journalist at EssentiallySports. He brings a deep tactical understanding to his coverage, breaking down head-to-head records, match dynamics, and on-court strategies with precision. For more than two years, Sayantan has been a key member of the Live Events desk, delivering real-time insights and data-backed predictions for the platform’s Matchday Preview section. His analytical approach has sparked editorial debates and drawn recognition from respected tennis voices, including commentator and analyst Olly_Tennis. Combining his experience in writing with a passion for insightful sports journalism, Sayantan’s work serves as a trusted reference point for tennis fans around the world.

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Edited by

Shrabana Sengupta