Iga Swiatek and Paula Badosa delivered a big performance to beat Elena Rybakina and Caroline Garcia 6-2 at the World Tennis League.
In the first match of Saturday’s schedule in Abu Dhabi, the Polish tennis star ousted the Kazakh 6-3 in a singles match.
Then, she stayed on the court and again handled the business against the 2022 Wimbledon champion – this time in women’s doubles.
On paper, it was expected to be a tight doubles matchup. But Swiatek and Badosa were clinical on their serve after firing three aces and winning 93 percent of their first serve points.
After the opening two matches, Team Eagles lead Team Falcons 12-5 and the four-time French Open champion played a big part in that.
#TeamEagles seem to be eyeing a win no matter what!👀
Eagles win 6 points against Falcons’ 2 in Women’s Doubles🔥#WTL #Day3 #UAE #tennis #WomensDoubles
— World Tennis League (@TennisWorl76726) December 21, 2024
Also, this was the first doubles win for the Pole and the Spaniard at the World Tennis League. Previously, they lost to Simona Halep and Jasmine Paolini on Thursday before also falling short to Aryna Sabalenka and Mirra Andreeva yesterday.
Iga Swiatek and Paula Badosa© World Tennis League/X – Fair Use
How Swiatek and Badosa beat Rybakina and Garcia?
The current world No. 2 and the former world No. 2 made a fast start to the match, claiming a break in the opening game.
Three games later, Rybakina and Garcia had two consecutive break points but didn’t convert and ended up losing the game through a deciding point at deuce.
The Kazakh and the Frenchwoman paid the price for not realizing their opportunity as Swiatek and Badosa earned another break in the seventh game for a 5-2 lead before routinely closing out the match in the following game.
Following today’s results, the Pole has a 2-2 record in singles at the World Tennis League and also one win and two losses in women’s doubles.
Tennis World USA