World No. 7 Madison Keys will face sixth-ranked Elena Rybakina in her third round-robin stage match of the 2025 WTA Finals on Wednesday, November 5.
Until this week, Keys was on the sidelines due to a wrist injury that she had suffered during her first-round exit at the US Open. The American, who had also played at the year-end championships in 2016, failed to make a mark in Riyadh this year. Having lost 1-6, 2-6 to Iga Świątek in just over an hour in her tournament opener, the 30-year-old was sent packing following her 6-4, 3-6, 2-6 defeat to her countrywoman Amanda Anisimova earlier on Monday, November 3.
Rybakina, meanwhile, got off to a flying start in her third career WTA Finals appearance this week. Coming off her 10th career singles triumph at the Ningbo Open earlier this month, the World No. 6 has been in blistering form in Riyadh. The 26-year-old swatted aside World No. 4 Anisimova 6-3, 6-1 in 58 minutes on Saturday. She was then trailing 2023 champion Świątek by a set before turning in arguably her season’s best performance, winning 75% (18/24) of her first-serve points in the second and third sets to complete a 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 victory.
Madison Keys vs Elena Rybakina Match Details
- Date: Nov. 5, 2025
- Tournament: WTA Finals 2025
- Round: Round-robin
- Venue: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Category: WTA Finals
- Surface: Indoor Hardcourt
- Live Telecast: Tennis Channel, TSN, Sky Sports
Keys vs Rybakina Head-to-Head
Madison Keys has split her six career meetings against Elena Rybakina, which means their head-to-head record stands at 3-3. While the Kazakh has won three of their five hardcourt clashes, she fell to the American in the Round of 16 of the 2025 Australian Open.
Keys vs Rybakina Prediction
Madison Keys and Elena Rybakina will both be playing for honor in what will be a dead rubber on Wednesday. With a 1-4 negative win/loss record against her name, the reigning Australian Open champion will be eager to emulate the form that saw her beat the former World No. 3 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 in Melbourne earlier this year. The World No. 7 will desperately need her forehand to work, though, keeping in mind how damaging Rybakina’s own cross-court forehand is.
The 2022 Wimbledon champion doesn’t have as much to worry about, since every department of her game has been working incredibly well in Riyadh this week. However, she will be extra sharp against Keys despite their match not affecting her first-ever semifinals qualification. Even her serve return, which was undermined by her opponents a lot this year, looked effective against Świątek as she won 45% (32/71) of her first and second-serve return points.
The keys to winning this match for both players will be to put in a high percentage of their first serves and assert dominance from the get-go with deep groundstrokes. At 6’0, Rybakina is not only more imposing from the baseline, but has shown better consistency too. In that regard, a straight-set win for the World No. 6 is quite likely as she has a point to prove at this year’s WTA Finals.
Prediction: Elena Rybakina to win in straight sets.
