WTA Finals: a magical final four

Jessica Pegula (No.5) vs Elena Rybakina (No.6)

Undoubtedly the more unexpected of the two semi-final match-ups. Jessica Pegula and Elena Rybakina will go head-to-head inside the King Saud University Indoor Arena for the first ticket to Saturday’s final, a stage the American had already reached in Cancun (2023).

Despite a three-set loss to world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka, the Austin, Charleston and Bad Homburg champion, booked her semi-final spot with wins over Coco Gauff - the defending champion who had recently beaten her in Wuhan - and Jasmine Paolini. Dominant in her final round-robin match, Pegula was relieved to claim a straightforward win (6-2, 6-3 in 1h03) and advance to the next stage.

“I finally got a straight-sets win for the first time in months! It feels great, especially since I served well and played really solid today. I was aggressive when I needed to be, so there’s not much to complain about,” she said.

Her balance between offense and defense, her ranking, her composure and experience in big moments - not to mention her positive head-to-head record (3–2) against the Kazakh - could tilt things in her favor. Still, the recent US Open semi-finalist won’t be the favorite when she steps onto the court on Friday.

That’s largely due to the superb form and free-flowing tennis displayed by her opponent in recent weeks. After a mixed season (her first in four years without a WTA 1000 or Grand Slam final), Rybakina snatched qualification in dramatic fashion, edging out Mirra Andreeva for the final spot. To pull it off, the Strasbourg champion had to win Ningbo and then reach at least the semi-finals in Tokyo. Mission accomplished: six straight wins and a well-earned seat on the plane to Riyadh.

“It hasn’t been an easy trip, obviously,” she admitted during the Media Day. “I struggled a bit with the jet lag, I only had two days off. But once competition starts, that doesn’t matter anymore, you just try to do your best. It’s been a year of ups and downs, but we’ve done everything we can to improve, even late in the season. If I do things right, it could be a great week.”

That renewed confidence carried her to three wins in the group stage, over Amanda Anisimova, Iga Swiatek, and Ekaterina Alexandrova (who stepped in instead of Madison Keys). For the first time in three appearances, Rybakina has reached the WTA Finals semi-finals, riding a nine-match winning streak. She’ll be eager to extend it after her emphatic win over Pegula in the Billie Jean King Cup (6-4, 6-1) last September.

Aryna Sabalenka (No.1) vs. Amanda Anisimova (No.4)

They just can’t stop meeting. After clashing in the fourth round at Roland-Garros, the semi-finals at Wimbledon and the final at the US Open, Aryna Sabalenka and Amanda Anisimova will meet again, this time in Riyadh.

And the least we can say is that both players have earned their place. Unquestioned at the top of the rankings, Sabalenka is closing out a magnificent - but occasionally frustrating - season. Champion in Miami and Madrid, she fell short at the last hurdle in Melbourne and Paris (losing to Madison Keys and Coco Gauff) before her golden back-to-back triumph in New York. Runner-up at the WTA Finals in 2022, she now has her sights set on another major title and is giving herself every chance to make it happen. Undefeated in the group stage, she dispatched Jasmine Paolini, Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff, taking double revenge along the way.

“I feel really good, honestly,” she said after her last group-stage win. “Every time I’ve played this tournament before, I lost at least one match in the group stage. So this year, I came in with a different mindset. I’m treating this event like any other, I need to win every match if I want the title. My only goal is to go out there, give everything, fight, and play my best tennis.”

Could her plans be derailed by her next opponent, eager for revenge after their showdown in New York? Given Anisimova’s incredible 2025 season and her two recent comebacks, nothing seems impossible. Twice a WTA 1000 champion this year (Doha and Beijing) and a two-time Grand Slam finalist, the American has finally transformed raw potential into consistency, breaking barriers with her explosive power and newfound poise under pressure. Unfazed by the magnitude of her first WTA Finals appearance, she clinched her semi-final spot with a commanding win over Iga Swiatek.

“I feel like I belong here,” she said. “I’ve played a lot of tough matches this year, but I know what I’m capable of. When I play my best tennis, I know I can go far.”

Two battles, one dream: that’s the challenge the “new” Amanda Anisimova is facing and she seems ready for it.