Iga Swiatek vs Elena Rybakina Prediction United Cup Tennis Picks 1/4/25

Iga Swiatek steered Poland to the United Cup semifinals with a gusty comeback win against Great Britain's Katie Boulter.

With Hubert Hurkacz putting Poland on the board in a tight straight sets victory against Billy Harris, it was up to Swiatek to confirm her country's progress into the last four for the second year in a row.

But Boulter played so well to threaten an upset and force a decisive mixed doubles tie, rallying from 1-4 down in the first set and winning it in a tie-break.

Swiatek's response was emphatic and instant, as she broke Boulter three times int he second set to level the match. Swiatek then came back from a break down in the decider to win it 6-4, fending off a late break point in the ninth game. 

Overall, Swiatek hit four aces and two double faults and landed 69% of first serves. She won 70% of first-serve points (49/70) and 41% of second-serve points (13/32), while saving five of seven break points.

Poland can book a second successive final spot. They lost to Germany in last year's showpiece event.

Elena Rybakina Preview

Elena Rybakina is representing Kazakhstan at the United Cup and her presence has certainly had a massive impact for her country. Rybakina helped Kazakhstan qualify top of their group containing Spain and Greece.

She beat Jessica Bouzas Maneiro and Maria Sakkari, losing a combined 12 games in the group stage in singles.

Rybakina has also played one mixed doubles match, which was in the opening tie against Spain. Kazakhstan won 2-1.

The former Wimbledon champion was at her scintillating best in quarterfinal where she helped Kazakhstan blitz Germany. She defeated Laura Siegemund in singles, dropping just four games in the match.

Iga Swiatek vs Elena Rybakina Head-To-Head

• Swiatek and Rybakina have met six times on the WTA Tour.

• Rybakina leads 4-2, winning their last meeting at the 2024 Stuttgart Open, a match where the World No. 6 ended Swiatek's 10-match winning streak in the WTA 500 event.

Iga Swiatek vs Elena Rybakina Prediction

Elena Rybakina is one of very few players who hold a winning record against Iga Swiatek at Tour level. Last year, it looked like Swiatek had turned the tables when she beat her in the Doha final, but normal service resumed when they played on the indoor clay in Stuttgart. It's mildly surprising that oddsmakers instilled Rybakina as the underdog here, with the chance to make 2.5 times the money backing the Kazakhstani.

Rybakina has played flawless tennis at the 2025 United Cup under the gazing eyes of new coach Goran Ivanisevic. We are yet to see Ivanisevic's tangible impact, but this is an upbeat and optimistic version of Rybakina who has turned up in Australia unlike the player who looked deflated in the second half of last year. That said, this is a challenging matchup for the Pole who has never been comfortable taking on the searing power of Rybakina and I expect that to continue.