Sabalenka overcomes Anisimova and lines up Rybakina in title match at WTA Finals

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RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — No. 1-ranked Aryna Sabalenka reached the title match at the WTA Finals for the first time in three years after overcoming Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in the semifinals on Friday.

Sabalenka will play first-time finalist Elena Rybakina on Saturday.

No. 6 Rybakina beat No. 5 Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 on the back of 15 aces.

Sabalenka was pushed to the brink by No. 4 Anisimova, who matched Sabalenka's power and aggression for more than two hours in a rematch of the U.S. Open final.

The first set lasted an hour. Anisimova missed five break chances and racked up 24 unforced errors.

But she halved that in the second set and broke Sabalenka three times to force a deciding set.

Sabalenka made the decisive break for 4-3.

“Honestly, I wouldn't care if I would've lost this match because I think we played an incredible match and both of us deserve this place in the finals,” Sabalenka said. "That was an incredible fight and I'm super happy to get the win.”

Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion from Kazakhstan, has won all four of her matches this week, and clinched the win over Pegula on her first match point.

“It was not easy to come back but I'm glad I managed to find my way in the second set and win it in this three-sets battle,” Rybakina said. “The serve, when I needed it, helped me.”

Pegula reached the final in 2023.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis