Iga Swiatek shares the change she's noticed in the Saudi Arabian fans after winning her opening match at the WTA Finals

Iga Swiatek made the perfect start to her 2025 WTA Finals campaign.

The world number two took on Madison Keys in her first group stage match and dominated the American throughout.

Securing the win in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2, Swiatek moved to 1-0 in the group.

The King Saud University Indoor Arena was packed for the opening match of the 2025 WTA Finals, as the tournament returned to Saudi Arabia.

During her post-match interview, Swiatek gave her verdict on the Saudi Arabian fans.

Iga Swiatek says there is a ‘bigger quantity’ and ‘bigger quality’ of fans in Saudi Arabia this year

Asked about the crowd support, Swiatek had this to say about the fans in Riyadh.

“It’s amazing. I see you guys are a bigger quantity than last year and a bigger quality, I guess, with the Polish flags, no, just kidding,” she said.

“I’m happy that I can play in front of you, and I’m happy that the tournament is developing, and I feel we can do a lot in terms of making tennis more popular and giving more opportunities in countries where they weren’t available before.

“I’m happy to be a part of that.”

The 24-year-old was happy to return to Riyadh, despite suffering a group stage exit 12 months ago.

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“Everybody who is here should be proud of the season we had. I’m trying to enjoy it and trying to appreciate that,” said Swiatek.

“It feels great to be back in Riyadh, especially because we’ve been switching places for the WTA Finals for the last few years, so coming back here to the place I know, it feels a little bit more like home, so I’m happy to be here.”

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Swiatek proceeded to comment on the match itself, highlighting what went right for her against Keys.

“Honestly, everything. All of the things I practiced, I got it together today, getting the right balance between being solid and aggressive,” she said.

“I’m overall happy with the work I’ve put in after the China swing, especially in Warsaw, that gives me the confidence to go forward and just develop as a player.

“I’m happy that I could bring my game today, and I’ll be ready to do that in the next days.”

However, while Swiatek certainly brought her A-game to Riyadh, the same could not be said for her American opponent.

Laura Robson thinks Madison Keys’ inactivity cost her against Iga Swiatek

Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, former British star Laura Robson shared her thoughts on why Keys struggled as much as she did against the Pole.

“As first performances go, it was pretty decent from [Iga] Swiatek,” she said.

“It was just too solid from Swiatek; she was more consistent from the baseline, and as soon as that early break got away from [Madison] Keys in the first, you just knew she was going to struggle to find the control.

“For me, the footwork was never quite there today, and that was to do with the lack of matches, perhaps over the last few months, and Swiatek is the worst person you can play when you’re not 100% comfortable.”

Keys hasn’t played a single match since losing in the first round of the US Open, while Swiatek has enjoyed success in Korea, Beijing, and Wuhan.

Iga Swiatek’s results since Madison Keys last played a match

Robson then looked over the stats, which highlighted Swiatek’s dominance over the American.

“The stats certainly reflect that, with the unforced error count in particular, 33 from the American, to 12. Second serve points won too, only 17%, we saw that was a real issue for Keys as the match went on,” she said.

“But a good start from Swiatek as the front-runner in this group.”

All hope is not lost for Keys, however, as she could yet qualify from the group, with two matches still to play.

Elena Rybakina and Amanda Anisimova are the two players who Swiatek and Keys will play next at the 2025 WTA Finals.

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