'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Match Details
Fixture: (POL) Iga Swiatek vs (KAZ) Elena Rybakina
Date: January 4, 2025
Tournament: United Cup 2025
Round: Semifinal
Venue: Ken Rosewall Arena, Sydney, Australia
Category: United Cup
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize Money: US$11,170,000
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN, RDS
Iga Swiatek vs Elena Rybakina preview
Poland's Iga Swiatek will lock horns with Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina in the semifinals of the United Cup 2025 on January 4.
Trending
Swiatek started the group stage of the tournament with a dominant 6-1, 6-0 win over Norway's Malene Helgo. When the tie was pushed to the deciding mixed doubles match, she teamed up with Jan Zielinski to beat their rivals and secure the tie 2-1.
Swiatek then faced Czechia's Karolina Muchova, and beat her 6-3, 6-4. Hubert Hurkacz came up short in his singles match once again, and Swiatek teamed up with him this time for the decisive mixed doubles. They came out on top to seal their quarterfinal berth.
Katie Boulter from Great Britain was Swiatek's quarterfinal opponent. A close first set went the Brit's way in the tie-break. The Pole dished out a breadstick to claim the second set, and rallied from a break down in the decider to score a 6-7 (4), 6-1, 6-4 win. The win put them into the semifinals as Hurkacz had won his singles match before this.
After Alexander Shevchenko lost his singles match against Spain, Rybakina stepped up with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Jessica Bouzas Maneiro to level the tie. She then took the court for the mixed doubles match, and won that as well to beat Spain 2-1.
Rybakina then defeated Greece's Maria Sakkari 6-4, 6-3 as her team routed the Greeks 3-0. They faced defending champion Germany in the quarterfinals. She beat Laura Siegemund 6-3, 6-1, and Shevchenko's win in singles locked up their semifinal spot.
Iga Swiatek vs Elena Rybakina head-to-head
Rybakina leads Swiatek 4-2 in the head-to-head. The Kazakh won their previous encounter at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix 2024 in Stuttgart in three sets.
Iga Swiatek vs Elena Rybakina odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Iga Swiatek vs Elena Rybakina prediction
Swiatek was pushed to the brink by Boulter but dug deep to earn a hard-fought win. Rybakina, meanwhile, has won all of her matches in straight sets, and hasn't dropped more than seven games per match.
The two are familiar rivals, and Rybakina is one of the few players to own a winning record against Swiatek. However, this match will be played on hardcourts, a surface on which each player has two wins over the other.
Swiatek won their most recent encounter on the surface, which was in the final of last year's Qatar Open. However, the slower court in Doha plays to her strengths, while the faster-paced courts in Australia enhance Rybakina's gameplay.
The Kazakh has thrived Down Under in recent years, with a runner-up finish at the Australian Open 2023 and a title in Brisbane last year. This is likely to be another riveting duel between them, though Rybakina will be favored to come out on top.
Pick: Elena Rybakina to win in three sets.
