No Special Feeling – Rybakina’s Brutal Honesty After Bageling Swiatek Exposes the World #1’s Glaring Vulnerability as Fans Calls her ineffective….
Elena Rybakina was thrilled with her game and intensity after bageling Iga Swiatek en route to completing a major 3-6 6-1 6-0 WTA Finals comeback win over the six-time Grand Slam champion.
Swiatek, whose tendency to crush rivals with a 6-0 scoreline and hand out popularly called “bagels” is well-known, found herself on the receiving end of a bagel on Monday in Riyadh. At the start of the third set, the Polish tennis star got broken after missing out on two consecutive game points. The world No. 2 didn’t have any game or break points for the rest of the match.
Entering the WTA Finals, Rybakina had been on a six-match winning streak. Now, that streak stands at eight.
Rybakina asked how she pulled off a bagel against Swiatek
“I’ve been playing really well the past few weeks. I was improving in each match, and the results were following after. Even here, I’m trying to focus on the little details, and it’s a great opportunity to play against the top players. I’m really excited for my next match, and hopefully I can bring the same intensity and the same game,” the 26-year-old responded.
While Rybakina bageling Swiatek was impressive, it was not the first time this year that the Pole had lost a set with a 6-0 scoreline as Madison Keys (Madrid), Aryna Sabalenka (French Open), and Emma Navarro (Wuhan) also managed to do it.
Meanwhile, by beating Swiatek at the WTA Finals, the Kazakh tennis star also snapped her four-match losing streak to the Pole.
Rybakina enters her WTA Finals group-stage finale against Madison Keys by knowing that she has already secured a semifinal place.
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Rafael Nadal still perfectly remembers his toughest period against Novak Djokovic as the record 14-time French Open champion admits the Serb made him go back to the drawing board in 2011 and think about how to end his dominance in their meetings.
In 2010, Nadal and Djokovic met only twice and the Spaniard won both of those clashes, with the last coming at the 2010 ATP Finals. In the next 14 months, they met seven times and the Spanish player failed to register a single win. All of those seven encounters came in the final stage of a tournament – 2011 Indian Wells, 2011 Madrid, 2011 Rome, 2011 Wimbledon, 2011 US Open, and 2012 Australian Open.
Nadal: I lost too many times to Djokovic in 2011… I had to come back and understand why“One year, I lost too many times with Novak. 2011, I lost the final of Indian Wells, final Miami, final Madrid, final Rome, final Wimbledon, and final US Open. And then the next year, I lost the final of Australia. So it’s coming back and understand what’s going on, why I am not able to win. Because it’s only one against one, makes the things mentally more tough, I think. When you’re out there, nobody can save you. It’s just you. That’s a beautiful thing of our sport too,” the Spanish tennis icon said during his conversation with NFL great Tom Brady at the E1 Series in Monte-Carlo Country Club.
In April 2012, Nadal finally snapped his seven-match losing streak by beating Djokovic 6-3 6-1 in the Monte Carlo Masters final. The Spaniard also triumphed in their 2012 Rome and French Open final meetings.
In the end, Nadal and Djokovic clashed against each other for a total of 60 times and the Serb won their head-to-head with a narrow 31-29 scoreline. In their last encounter at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the Serbian tennis giant claimed a 6-1 6-4 win.
Novak Djokovic reached the quarter-final at the ATP 250 event in Athens. The ATP tournament is back in the Greece capital for the first time since 1994, and the Serb competes as the top seed and favorite.
Novak faced Alejandro Tabilo in the second round and earned a 7-6, 6-1 victory in an hour and 39 minutes, providing his first triumph over ther Chilean after losing two times on clay in the previous two years.
The veteran endured a physical battle in the opener, adjusting his backhand and clinching the set in the tie break. Djokovic notched back-to-back breaks in the second set to emerge at the top and collect his 225th ATP quarter-final.
Novak dominanted behind the first serve and saved the only break point offered to his opponent. The top seed clinched 42% of the return points and grabbed two breaks from five opportunities.
Alejandro faced two break points in the first game of the duel. He saved them and avoided an early setback. They served well in the remaining games and introduced a tie break.
Djokovic grabbed all five points on serve and kept the pressure on the other side. Tabilo missed a forehand in the first point to fall behind. The Serb served well and moved 5-2 in front.
Novak Djokovic, Athens 2025© Stream screenshotThe veteran claimed an extended rally for 6-3 and drew the rival’s error on the first set point to close the first part of the duel in 67 minutes. Novak saved a break point in the first game of the second set.
He grabbed a break at love in the fourth game after Alejandro’s backhand mistake to open the advantage. Djokovic held at love for 4-1 and provided another break in the next one after another loose shot from Tabilo.
The Serb held at 15 at 5-1 with a forced error to seal the deal and book his place in the quarter-final.
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