Iga Swiatek Urges Authorities to Promote Tennis in Riyadh After Convincing Opening Win at the WTA Finals

Iga Swiatek is seeking her second WTA Finals title, and has opened her campaign with a win over Madison Keys.

Iga Swiatek Urges Authorities to Promote Tennis in Riyadh After Convincing Opening Win at the WTA Finals

Iga Swiatek (via X/The Tennis Letter)

🔍 Explore this post with:

ChatGPTPerplexityGrok AIGoogle AI

Iga Swiatek began her WTA Finals campaign in the best possible way, defeating Madison Keys 6-1, 6-2 in the opening group stage match. The Polish star avenged her Australian Open semifinal loss to the American.

After the match, Swiatek spoke about the potential of Saudi Arabia in tennis and emphasized the importance of promoting the sport in countries where it is not yet widely popular. Swiatek said in her post-match interview:

I feel that we can do a lot in terms of making tennis more popular and giving some opportunities in countries where they weren’t available before. I’m just happy to be a part of that.

Saudi Arabia has gained significant attention in tennis over the past two years. Rafael Nadal has become the nation’s tennis ambassador and was seen at several junior tournaments last year, presenting trophies.

In addition, the Six Kings Slam events in recent years have drawn major interest. Jannik Sinner has won both editions of the tournament.

Iga Swiatek opens WTA Finals campaign

No. 2 seed Iga Swiatek, the Wimbledon champion, defeated No. 7 seed and Australian Open winner Madison Keys 6-1, 6-2. The match highlighted Swiatek’s sharp form and dominance on court.

Iga Swiatek
Iga Swiatek (Image via X/Jimmy48 Photography)

Keys was competing for the first time in 68 days after her early US Open exit. Her timing and movement showed signs of rust from the long layoff. Swiatek controlled the contest, winning 12 of 15 games and 58 of 87 points. She converted five of eight break chances and sealed the win in just 61 minutes.

The 24-year-old from Poland now leads Keys 6-2 in their career meetings. With 62 tour-level victories this year, she holds the most wins on tour in 2025.

Iga Swiatek highlights reasons behind game aggression

After dominating the red clay at Roland Garros with four titles in five years (2020–24), Iga Swiatek fell in the semifinals earlier this season to World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. She responded with a stunning Wimbledon triumph on a surface she once doubted she could conquer.

Under coach Wim Fissette, Swiatek focused this year on being more aggressive on hard courts. She embraced higher risk in her game to earn bigger rewards. She added in her post-match interview:

I think 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. This was something that I felt improved totally. Also the speed of the serve. I don’t know, I think I was in some kind of a ranking of fifth or something in aces this year. That’s impossible. But my serve improved. I would love for my percentage to always be consistent. That’s the next goal.

Madison Keys is competing in her second year-end championship appearance. Her first came in 2016, and her current record stands at 1-3. Swiatek is looking to win her second WTA Title after her first title coming in 2023. She won two matches in the group stages last year, but was sensationally knocked out last year.

Also Read: Aryna Sabalenka Reflects on the Two Biggest Lessons of her Roller Coaster 2025 Season