"The tournament still goes on": Amanda Anisimova, Iga Swiatek set for winner-take-all WTA Finals match

In a round-robin format that often can get complicated, the formula now facing Amanda Anisimova and Iga Swiatek at the WTA Finals is simple.

Win, and you're in.

The winner of the Serena Williams Group match between Anisimova and Swiatek will punch her ticket to the semifinals after Monday's dust settled in Riyadh, courtesy of three-set comebacks by both Anisimova and Elena Rybakina. The match between Rybakina and Madison Keys will play no role in the group outcome, with Rybakina having already qualified as group winner.

Read more: Madison Keys eliminated after round-robin wins for Amanda Anisimova and Elena Rybakina at WTA Finals

Ordinarily, a loss like the one Swiatek suffered to Rybakina—a 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 thumping in which she actually lost 15 of the last 18 games despite having a one-set lead—would be enough to leave a player reeling.

But instead of lingering on what went wrong against the Kazakh, and the 36 unforced errors that she hit in sets two and three combined, Swiatek said she had no plans to "over-analyze" just her second loss from a set up this year.

As a veteran of the WTA Finals in her fifth appearance, Swiatek knows she doesn't have the time to—because "the tournament still goes on."

"I'll just focus on playing Amanda next, and that's it," the 2023 WTA Finals champion said. "Every match I play, I want to win, so I'll just prepare and be ready."

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Meanwhile, the quirks of round-robin play are new to Anisimova, who is playing the year-end championships for the first time.

Disappointed after losing to Rybakina in her opening match, the two-time Grand Slam finalist shook off any lingering hangover at the 11th hour to keep her hopes of qualifying for the semifinals alive. She won 11 of the last 13 games against Keys, admitting afterwards that one of her primary objectives coming back to the court after a 6-3, 6-1 loss was to "put up a fight today."

The 48-hour swing now sees the American flying high ahead of her third match against Swiatek this year.

Read more: Amanda Anisimova becomes only player to beat all four 2025 Grand Slam women's champions this year

"Now it feels more like a real tournament, that you know if you win, you progress, and then if you lose, you're out," she said. "So yeah, [I'm] just looking forward to it, and hopefully I can give it my best shot."

"I love facing the top opponents here, and every single player that I play here is going to be a really tough challenge, so it's just going to be another one for me," she added. "I'm happy to have a win under my belt for sure going into it."