Rybakina’s aces propel her to WTA Finals final
Amid the electric hum of Riyadh’s arena, Elena Rybakina channeled post-Asian swing weariness into a barrage of serves, outlasting Jessica Pegula in a gripping three-setter to earn a crack at the championship.
In the sweltering glow of Riyadh’s indoor hard courts, Elena Rybakina confronted Jessica Pegula not just as a semifinal foe but as a mirror to her own season-long grind. The sixth seed, fresh off a pressure-cooker Asian swing that secured her WTA Finals spot, arrived with her massive serve primed for the quick surface that rewarded her flat power. Pegula, seeded fifth and no stranger to the Kazakh’s arsenal after splitting recent head-to-heads, knew the challenge: disrupt the rhythm or risk being overwhelmed by booming deliveries that skid low and fast.
Pegula seizes opener amid forehand lapses
Pegula won the coin toss and chose to receive, immediately testing Rybakina’s delivery against the backdrop of her league-leading 503 aces this year. The American broke in the second game to lead 2-1, exploiting a flurry of overcooked forehands that sailed long from the baseline. Rybakina clawed back the advantage with a precise backhand crosscourt, but errors piled up, allowing Pegula to hold firm through tense exchanges.
Five aces from Rybakina punctuated the set, her serves dipping sharply off the surface to force hurried returns. Yet at 30-all serving for the frame, Pegula fired her own ace into the T-spot, and a final netted forehand from her opponent sealed the 6-4 win. The crowd’s murmurs swelled, sensing Pegula’s defensive depth could blunt the bigger game if the lapses continued.
“She seems like she’s been the most seamless throughout this entire tournament,” Pegula said. “We all know how she can play, huge game, big serve. I think these conditions definitely suit her. Coming off a hot Asian swing where she was kind of under pressure to qualify and all this stuff, it seems like she’s hitting every single mark.”
Rybakina surges with tactical resets
The second set saw Rybakina assert control early, breaking in the fourth game via a one–two of deep inside-out forehand pinning Pegula wide, followed by a down-the-line backhand winner. She stretched to 4-1, varying her patterns with crosscourt rallies that opened angles for inside-in approaches, the court’s pace amplifying her groundstroke penetration. Pegula’s returns stayed deep, but the surface’s speed turned neutral balls into opportunities for the Kazakh’s aggression.
Serving for the set at 5-4, a double fault from Rybakina gifted momentum back, leading to a five-deuce standoff in the next game. She steadied with underspin slices to slow the tempo, then lashed a backhand into the open court on her second set point, leveling the match at one set apiece. The shift highlighted her round-robin dominance—a 3-0 sweep in the Serena Williams Group over Amanda Anisimova, Iga Swiatek, and Ekaterina Alexandrova—mirroring Aryna Sabalenka’s run in the other bracket.
Pegula, at 31 the oldest semifinalist since Venus Williams at 37 in 2017, had earned her spot with a 2-1 group record, toppling Coco Gauff and Jasmine Paolini before falling to Sabalenka. Her steady play forced long points, but Rybakina’s serve began carving free points, eroding the American’s resolve game by game.
“Yeah, it’s my biggest weapon and I think it worked really well,” Rybakina said of her serve. “Some moments, when I needed it the most, it worked—even though she was really playing well and pushing me in the tough situations.”
Decider break cements title path
The third set turned on the sixth game, where Rybakina broke with a forehand winner down the line after a baseline grind that exposed Pegula’s backhand under pressure. She consolidated to 4-2, her five breaks for the match outpacing Pegula’s two, fueled by clutch aces that totaled 15 by the 6-3 finish in 2 hours and 5 minutes. The Kazakh’s streak hit 10 straight wins, the last four against Top 10 players and six in a row overall, flipping their head-to-head to even after her straight-sets Billie Jean King Cup victory earlier in the year—their first meeting since 2023.
Fatigue from Asia lingered in Rybakina’s mind upon arrival, yet she exceeded low expectations, pushing through tough draws to reach her first WTA Finals championship match against either Sabalenka or Anisimova. Pegula reflected on the surface’s role in amplifying the serve’s edge, her high-level effort shining despite the defeat.
“Tough loss,” Pegula said. “Kudos to her, she played some really good tennis, always serving well. I felt like in these conditions and on these court, especially with her serve, it’s tough when she’s getting free points every single game. But regardless, I thought I played at a really high level today.”
As the arena lights dimmed on the semifinal, Rybakina’s quiet resolve hinted at more to come, her game evolving from weary qualifier to title threat on courts that echo her power. The final beckons with year-end stakes, where a win could redefine her season’s narrative amid the tour’s relentless tempo.
Reflecting post-match, she admitted the mental lift from unexpected depth. “When I was coming here, of course, at the same time I was quite tired, so I didn’t have much expectations, honestly,” Rybakina shared. “I was very happy the way I played in Asia, but at the same time I was quite tired, so for me it was, ‘OK, last week, let’s push, let’s see what’s going to happen.’ I didn’t expect to go that far, but I’m glad I played really well these tough matches and I pushed myself and it turned out really well for me.”
“When I was coming here, of course, at the same time I was quite tired, so I didn’t have much expectations, honestly. I was very happy the way I played in Asia, but at the same time I was quite tired, so for me it was, ‘OK, last week, let’s push, let’s see what’s going to happen.’ I didn’t expect to go that far, but I’m glad I played really well these tough matches and I pushed myself and it turned out really well for me.”
