Rybakina beats Pegula and moves into title match at the WTA Finals

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Elena Rybakina reached the title match at the WTA Finals for the first time after beating Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 on the back of her big serve in the semifinals on Friday.

Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka plays Amanda Anisimova in the second semifinal later. That’s a rematch of the U.S. Open final.

Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion from Kazakhstan, has won all four of her matches this week, advancing from the group stage for the first time.

She hit 15 aces against Pegula and clinched the win 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, losing to Iga Swiatek 6-1, 6-0.

___

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