Aryna Sabalenka defeated Amanda Anisimova in a grueling three-set semifinal to reach the WTA Finals championship match, where she will face Elena Rybakina.
A Battle of Power and Endurance
Aryna Sabalenka and Amanda Anisimova delivered one of the most physically demanding matches of the tournament. The world No. 1 prevailed 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 after 2 hours and 21 minutes of relentless baseline exchanges and high-octane rallies. From the very first game, both players refused to yield, trading blows with equal aggression.
“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.”
Early Struggles and Shifts in Momentum
The opening set alone lasted an hour and featured 94 points, with Sabalenka securing it through her second break of serve. Anisimova struggled to convert break points, going 0-for-5, while Sabalenka capitalized on two of her eight chances. The American cleaned up her game in the second set, halving her unforced errors and converting all three break points to level the match.
Sabalenka’s Decisive Push
In the final set, Sabalenka’s experience and tactical awareness came to the fore. She broke Anisimova at 4-3 with a backhand winner and never looked back.
“I remember the first point at three-all, there was a physically tough point — and I felt, ‘OK, she’s out of breath and I need to keep pushing her,’” Sabalenka said. “I was just trying to make her play the extra ball and it really worked.”
Anisimova had a final opportunity when Sabalenka double-faulted at 4-3, but the Belarusian responded with a clutch first serve to escape danger and close out the match.
Mutual Respect and Reflection
After the match, Sabalenka praised Anisimova’s growth throughout the season.
“I told Amanda she should be proud of her season,” Sabalenka said. “She played incredible tennis the whole season and it’s just the beginning.”
Anisimova, still processing the loss, acknowledged the ups and downs of her performance.
“I think I played good tennis at points in the match,” she said. “And at some points there was a drop. It was kind of like a roller coaster.”
A Season of Dominance
Sabalenka’s victory adds to an already stellar 2025 campaign. She has:
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Clinched the Year-End No. 1 ranking
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Reached nine finals, the most on tour
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Advanced to 12 semifinals, also a tour high
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Won 63 matches, surpassing Iga Swiatek
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Become the first player since Angelique Kerber in 2016 to reach three Grand Slam finals and the WTA Finals in the same season
Sabalenka in Riyadh, ranking, and results in 2025
Ranked no.1, the Belarussian achieved a 63-11 record in 2025. Sabalenka ended her run in the round-robin after defeating Amanda Anisimova 6-3 3-6 6-3.
Aryna Sabalenka will fight against the world no.1 Aryna Sabalenka in the final. They have never competed against each other as of now in top competitions.
Sabalenka clinched 4 titles in 2025 in Brisbane, Miami, Madrid and U.S. Open. Sabalenka was the runner-up at the Australian Open, in Indian Wells (BNP Paribas Open), in Stuttgart (Porsche Tennis Grand Prix) and at the French Open.
Sabalenka won 21 titles in her career: 16 on hard courts, 3 on clay courts and 2 on indoor courts. (See the list of her titles)
Amanda Anisimova in 2025
Now the world no.4 (career-high), Anisimova played her last match on the 7th of November when she capitulated to world no.1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-3 3-6 6-3 in the semifinal in Riyadh (draw).
Currently, during this season the American has a compiled 47-18 win-loss record. Amanda clinched 2 titles in 2025 in Doha and Beijing. Amanda was the runner-up in London, Wimbledon and U.S. Open.
Aryna Sabalenka and Amanda Anisimova played each other 11 times. Their record is 6-5 for Anisimova.