World number one Aryna Sabalenka had to dig deep to overcome fourth-seeded Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in a high-octane semi-final at the WTA Finals in Riyadh on Friday.
The Belarusian four-time major winner roared her way to a championship showdown with Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina, who battled past fifth-seeded Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 earlier at King Saud University Indoor Arena.
Sabalenka clocked 12 aces and saved six of nine break points to book her place in the final for a second time in five appearances at the season-ending championships.
Photo: EPA/STR
“She always pushes me to play my best tennis,” said Sabalenka, who gave Anisimova a warm embrace at the net after the match.
“Honestly, I wouldn’t care if I would lose this match because we both played an incredible match and we both deserve to be in the final,” she said.
“I’m super happy to get the win. I told Amanda that she should be proud of her season, she played incredible tennis the whole season, but it’s just the beginning for her. There are many good things coming her way for sure,” she added.
Both Sabalenka and Rybakina are undefeated through four matches so far this week and were to have a chance of earning a record US$5.235 million with a victory the final last night after press time.
Rybakina claimed a 10th consecutive win on Friday by beating Pegula to reach the championship match at the WTA Finals for the first time in three appearances.
“When I came here, I didn’t have many expectations. I’m very happy the way I played in Asia but at the same time, I was quite tired,” said Rybakina, who won the title in Ningbo, China, and made the semi-finals in Tokyo to secure the final qualifying spot for Riyadh at the very last chance.
“So, for me, it was okay, last week, last push, let’s see what’s going to happen. And yeah, I didn’t expect to go that far,” she said.
Two of the biggest hitters on tour, Sabalenka and Anisimova have built one a riveting rivalry. They were squaring off for a fourth time this season (Roland Garros, Wimbledon, US Open, Riyadh).
Sabalenka saved all five break points she faced and converted two of the eight she created to scoop a highly-competitive opening set in 60 minutes.
Anisimova came out blazing in the second frame, breaking twice for a 4-0 gap. The American was punishing Sabalenka’s second serve and pouncing on every short ball.
She was broken while serving for the set, but recovered immediately to take the contest into a decider.
The moment of truth came in game seven for Sabalenka, who pulled off some incredible shots to break Anisimova for a 4-3 advantage.
With both players unleashing missiles from all corners of the court, Sabalenka found her best when she needed it most to claim her fifth victory from 11 meetings with Anisimova.
In the earlier semi-final on Friday, Rybakina fired 15 aces and won 73 percent of her first-serve points on her way to a hard-fought win.
The 26-year-old Rybakina has a shot at clinching her biggest title since 2022 Wimbledon.
The Dubai resident is just the third player representing an Asian nation — after Zheng Qinwen and Li Na — to reach the final of this event.
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