World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka has advanced to the summit clash of the WTA Finals after a hard-fought victory over Amanda Anisimova in the last four. The match, which lasted for two hours and 21 minutes, was a battle of power and endurance with Sabalenka eventually winning 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. Sabalenka and Anisimova met for the 11th time on the WTA Tour. Sabalenka picked up her 5th win against Anisimova (L6).
This will be Sabalenka’s second career title match at these year-end championships.
A closely contested clash
The semifinal match between Sabalenka and Anisimova was a closely contested affair from the very start. The two players matched each other’s pace and aggression, making for an exciting encounter. Sabalenka saved five break points earlier in the match and then turned up the aggression from the baseline to win the first set.
However, Anisimova showed character and bounced back in the second set, winning four consecutive games to force a decider. The experienced Sabalenka hit a series of aces and made a decisive break with a huge backhand winner in the third set.
What about the match stats?
In terms of the match stats, Sabalenka fired 12 aces with Anisimova clocking 7. The latter committed 5 double faults, one more than Sabalenka. Belarusian Sabalenka converted 5/14 break points. Sabalenka saw Anisimova edge past her 30-31 in terms of winners. Lastly, Anisimova made 48 unforced errors compared to Sabalenka’s tally of 28.
Sabalenka to take on Rybakina in the summit clash
With her victory over Anisimova, Sabalenka has set up a final showdown against Rybakina. The latter had earlier defeated Jessica Pegula in a three-set battle of her own. This will be the first time Sabalenka and Rybakina will be facing each other for the chance to lift the WTA Finals trophy.
Both players have maintained a 100% win record in this year’s WTA Finals (4 each).
In terms of the H2H record, Sabalenka is 8-5 against Rybakina across 13 meetings.
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