Riyadh, Nov 8 (IANS) World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka battled past Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in a fierce semifinal showdown to earn her place in the WTA Finals championship match against Elena Rybakina, as both contenders aim to capture their maiden Billie Jean King Trophy.

The highly anticipated final on Saturday will feature the tournament’s two unbeaten players. Sabalenka, last year’s runner-up, enters with a slight advantage – she leads Rybakina 8–5 in their career meetings, including a victory in the 2023 Australian Open final.

“It’s going to be another powerful match,” Sabalenka said after the match. “I feel like today was great preparation for Elena and I’m looking forward to leaving everything I have (on court) in the last match of the season and fight for this beautiful trophy.”

After a tense opening stretch against Amanda Anisimova, the rematch of September’s US Open final began to tilt in Sabalenka’s favour when she broke to move ahead 5-3, unleashing her trademark power from the baseline to secure the first set after an hour of play.

The New York champion, who had earlier fended off five break points, lost momentum early in the second as Anisimova raced to a 4-0 lead, and it soon became clear the contest was headed for a deciding set.

In the third, Sabalenka rediscovered her rhythm, firing a string of aces to level at 3-3 before landing a blistering backhand to earn the crucial break. Though she faced some late pressure, the top seed held firm to close out the match and book her place in the final.

“She’s always pushing me to play my best tennis and honestly I wouldn’t have cared if I lost this match,” Sabalenka said.

“We played an incredible match and both deserved this place in the final. It was an incredible fight. I’m super happy to get the win. I told Amanda that she should be proud of her season.”

Earlier in the day, Rybakina rallied from a set down to defeat Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, maintaining her unbeaten run and advancing to the WTA Finals title match.

Pegula, last year’s finalist, raised her level after an early trade of breaks in the opening set, surging ahead 4-2 as Rybakina battled inconsistency and appeared hampered by a shoulder problem picked up during her warm-up the previous day.

–IANS

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