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Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina — the first and last players to qualify for the WTA Finals in Riyadh — will meet in the championship match. Both advanced undefeated through their respective round-robin groups and battled past their semifinal opponents in three-set victories.
Enjoying the ace-friendly King Saud University Indoor Arena, Rybakina fired 15 aces and broke Jessica Pegula five times to secure a 4–6 6–4 6–3 victory in Friday’s first semifinal. The Kazakhstani advanced to the knockout stage for the first time in three WTA Finals appearances and she achieved it unbeaten, having dominated the Serena Williams Group with wins over Amanda Anisimova, Iga Swiatek, and alternate Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Rybakina has now extended her winning streak to ten matches, with her last four victories coming against Top 10 opponents. These conditions clearly play to her strengths, especially her powerful serve, which continues to earn her a steady stream of free points in nearly every game. It was a tough loss for Pegula, who felt she played at a high level, but on this court, she simply couldn’t match Rybakina’s precision and pace.
Later on Friday, Sabalenka edged WTA Finals debutant Amanda Anisimova 6–3 3–6 6–3 in another high-quality encounter.
Sabalenka leads Rybakina 8–5 in their head-to-head record and won their most recent meeting in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Wuhan Open. However, at last year’s WTA Finals in Riyadh, Rybakina defeated Sabalenka 6–4 3–6 6–1 in the group stage. Both will now be aiming to lift their first WTA Finals trophy.
