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.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
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.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"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."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
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.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
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.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
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.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"She's always pushing me to play my best tennis and honestly I wouldn't have cared if I lost this match," Sabalenka said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"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."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"She's always pushing me to play my best tennis and honestly I wouldn't have cared if I lost this match," Sabalenka said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
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.<\/p>\r\n\r\n