A number of years ago, the ATP Tour tried to create Group formats for some of the tournaments they were using outside of the 500 and upper events.
It never really worked, but it has been a solid format for the end of year Championships.
There is still going to be a strange feeling for some of the players as they prepare to head back onto the court just a couple of days after losing opening matches- both Amanda Anisimova and Madison Keys have not had a lot of experience of playing at the WTA Finals and the two American players are looking to bounce back with a victory that will give them a chance of progressing.
It is the second match scheduled on the day, but first the World Number 2 Iga Swiatek takes on Elena Rybakina in what looks to be a really good match. Both players will have genuine ambitions of winning the title here and picking up late momentum that they hope will carry over to Melbourne in mid-January when the Australian Open gets underway.
Iga Swiatek - 1.5 games v Elena Rybakina: Two wins is usually good enough to earn a spot in the Semi Final at the end of year Championships, but that is not always the case.
However, the winner of this Group match will move into a very strong position after both Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina came through opening matches in straight sets.
Winning this one in straight sets would put that player into a really strong spot and there is a chance that the Semi Final spot will have been secured before they play again on Wednesday. That will be dependent on the other match in the Group, but the focus for both Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina has to be on winning this match and not having to worry too much about other results.
Iga Swiatek goes into this match as favourite, although both players really did impress in the way they were able to win opening matches here in Riyadh.
However, you have to believe the Pole is going to be feeling confident with this match up considering how well she has competed with Elena Rybakina in 2025. All four matches played between the two have ended in wins for Iga Swiatek and three of those wins have been on the hard courts, which is perhaps something of a surprise considering how effective Rybakina can be on this surface.
Both will be keen to impose themselves with the serve, but in the recent matches against one another, it is Iga Swiatek who has been able to get a more out of her delivery. The way she has protected the second serve has been key and allowed the fine margins to lean in her favour and it may be something that is evident when Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina face each other on Monday.
If Elena Rybakina can bring the form she was producing in her opening win into this match then she will be very dangerous.
The problem will be if Iga Swiatek reaches the level she was operating at in the opening win and that would give the World Number 2 the edge to win and cover the handicap mark set.
In the four wins over Rybakina this season, Iga Swiatek would have covered this line three times and she can do the same in Riyadh to all but secure a spot in the WTA Finals last four.
Amanda Anisimova - 3.5 games v Madison Keys: Missing time on the Tour after the US Open was going to make things difficult, but Madison Keys would have expected a lot more from herself in the opening Group match at the WTA Finals. The crushing loss to Iga Swiatek is a disappointment, but the good news is that the WTA Finals are played in a different format and all is not lost just yet.
The pressure is on Madison Keys to bounce back and another defeat is likely to spell elimination.
However, that is a situation that will be cleared up before this second match takes place- a win for Iga Swiatek over Elena Rybakina will mean Madison Keys cannot be definitively eliminated on Monday, although another straight sets loss is going to be hard to overcome.
The same fate awaits Amanda Anisimova after she struggled to stick with Rybakina in her opening Group match.
The difference for the younger of the two American players is that she needs a win from Elena Rybakina earlier in the day if Anisimova is to avoid definite elimination with a second defeat at her maiden WTA Finals event.
It would be a surprise if either player is thinking about another loss and still having ambitions to reach the Semi Final here in Riyadh so the focus has to be on recovering from opening losses. Both Amanda Anisimova and Madison Keys proved to be second best by a significant margin in those losses and so there is a lot of room for improvement, although the edge may have to be given to the former having had a decent Asian swing prior to this event beginning.
You also have to note that Madison Keys has lost all three matches played against top ten Ranked opponents on the hard courts since she won the Australian Open title at the very start of the year. Those defeats have all been pretty one-sided and now Madison Keys will have to take on Amanda Anisimova who has a 5-2 record against the top ten Ranked players she has faced on the hard courts in 2025.
The numbers show that Amanda Anisimova has been able to look after her second serve more effectively than Madison Keys, while she has also been a stronger return player.
Amanda Anisimova will have had a lot of respect for Madison Keys when growing onto the Tour and she will have noted the kind words that Keys had for after taking the time away to get on top of her mental health a couple of years ago. These two will have a lot of time for one another away from the court, and that should see the match played in good spirit.
The edge has to be with the favourite, who should have the stronger rhythm on the court and the match could get away from Madison Keys if she does drop the first set. It may be a situation where getting through to the WTA Semi Finals becomes a secondary ambition compared with preparing to recover and get ready to defend the Australian Open crown won this year and Amanda Anisimova can stay alive in the Group with a quality win.
MY PICKS: Iga Swiatek - 1.5 Games @ 1.85 William Hill (1 Unit)
Amanda Anisimova - 3.5 Games @ 1.87 Bet Victor (1 Unit)
WTA Finals: 1-3, - 2 Units (4 Units Staked, - 50% Yield)
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