Rybakina Overpowers Swiatek in Melbourne Thriller
Elena Rybakina surges past Iga Swiatek in straight sets at the Australian Open quarterfinals, evening their rivalry and setting up a semifinal clash with Jessica Pegula amid her unstoppable late-2025 form.
Elena Rybakina’s serve thundered across Rod Laver Arena, dismantling Iga Swiatek’s defenses in a 7-5, 6-1 Australian Open quarterfinals upset that echoed through Melbourne’s humid afternoon. The fifth seed, absent from these semifinals since her 2023 final run, seized control by winning eight of the last nine games in 1 hour and 35 minutes, leveling their head-to-head at 6-6. Her flat power on the medium-paced hard courts clashed with Swiatek’s topspin retrieval, turning a tentative opener into a one-sided finish that exposed the No. 2 seed’s inconsistencies.
Rybakina, the 2025 ace leader on the WTA Tour, landed 11 of her 26 winners as unreturnables despite a 49% first-serve rate, while her 19 unforced errors—14 in the first set—paled against Swiatek’s 25 miscues and mere 10 winners. The Kazakh’s aggression stemmed from a late-2025 surge, including an undefeated WTA Finals Riyadh title, fueling her 18th win in 19 matches and eighth straight over a top-10 player. As the 2022 Wimbledon champion eyes her third Grand Slam final, this victory shifts the tournament’s psychological currents.
“I’m really pleased with the win,” Rybakina said in her on-court interview. “We know each other pretty well, and I was just trying to stay aggressive. In the first set, the first serve wasn’t working for both of us, so we were trying to step in on the second serve and put pressure on each other. In the second set, I just started to play more free, serve better, and I’m really happy with the win.”
First set stretches into pressure cooker
Rybakina absorbed an early break in the opening game, then clawed back from 0-40 at 1-1 with deep second serves and crosscourt forehands that forced Swiatek deep. Nine of the set’s 12 games dragged to deuce, where the Kazakh lost just 12 points across her next eight service games, her low-trajectory aces skidding off the baseline to disrupt returns. Swiatek pressed with aggressive steps on second serves but faltered at 30-all moments, her missed returns handing Rybakina the edge in rallies that tested mental stamina amid the arena’s rising buzz.
The Pole’s heavy topspin backhand, usually a weapon on slower surfaces, struggled against Rybakina’s flat inside-out shots that opened the court wide. Every point carried weight, with shots grazing lines and the crowd holding its breath during extended exchanges. This grind honed Rybakina’s focus, setting the stage for her second-set breakout as Swiatek’s error count climbed.
Second set unleashes Rybakina’s dominance
Once ahead, Rybakina’s one–two pattern—big serve into forehand inside-in—pinned Swiatek back, her pace accelerating to overwhelm the world No. 2’s defenses. The Kazakh’s precision down-the-line passes exploited hurried approaches, while Swiatek’s intensity waned, her returns lacking depth on the hard courts’ consistent bounce. By match end, Rybakina’s free-swinging rhythm had turned the contest into a rout, the ball zipping faster as the Pole chased shadows.
Swiatek later pinpointed the opener’s slim margins as pivotal, noting how a few aggressive returns at key junctures eluded her. She reflected on the rising tempo that amplified her errors, vowing steady work on return aggression without dramatic overhauls. The defeat underscores her hard-court challenges, where Rybakina’s power exploits any dip in retrieval.
“In first set I think it was a difference of a couple points,” Swiatek said. “She also, I thought, gave me some chances on her serve, and sometimes I used them. Sometimes it was, like, 30-All and, for example, I missed one return. You know, I wanted to be aggressive on the second serve, so sometimes, yeah, will make mistakes. But if you want to break, you need to make it in in the moment like that.”
“Then in the second set I thought, I don’t know, that the pace from her got a little bit even higher, and she was more precise, and maybe I dropped the intensity at the beginning especially.”
“I know what I need to improve, and it’s kind of the same stuff that I had in my mind before the tournament as well. So there’s no breakthrough lesson,” she continued. “I’m just going to keep doing my job, and hopefully the next tournament I’ll get some stuff, you know, settled in terms of what I wanted to do with my game.”
Semifinal path builds on late surge
Rybakina now meets No. 6 seed Jessica Pegula, the winner of the all-American quarterfinal against No. 4 seed Amanda Anisimova 6-2, 7-6(1), in a matchup of baseline warriors. Pegula’s steady flat groundstrokes will probe the Kazakh’s serve, but Rybakina’s risk-taking—shots hugging lines from tough 2025 draws—positions her to dictate angles with inside-out backhands. Her post-match words reveal a mindset carried from Riyadh’s pressure, emphasizing aggression over perfection.
The 2022 champion credits those late-season battles for her Melbourne poise, where stepping in on returns and holding firm through deuces built unbreakable belief. As the tournament heats up, follow the Scores, Draws, and Order of play for semifinal intrigue. Swiatek’s exit leaves room for Rybakina to claim hard-court validation, her form suggesting a final run within reach on these sun-baked courts.
“I think last season the last couple of tournaments I played I gained some confidence throughout tough matches,” Rybakina explained. “Of course, this is something I tried to carry to this year, this season. Still, a lot of things to improve, to work on, but the most important that I’m trying to stay aggressive whenever I get the chance to step in, maybe risk a little bit.”
“Like even today, a couple of shots were very close to the line, on the line, so I’m glad it was going my way, but definitely the most important for my game to stay aggressive.”
