World number one Aryna Sabalenka defeated Elena Rybakina 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in a rain-interrupted group match on Friday to book a semi-final meeting with Iga Swiatek at the WTA Finals. The Belarusian, who finished second in her group behind unbeaten American Jessica Pegula, maintained her bid for the top spot in the year-end rankings with a victory that took two days to achieve. She won the first set but trailed in the second when play was stopped Thursday night due to multiple rain delays.
About 16 hours later, she and Rybakina returned to the outdoor hard courts in Cancun, where fourth-seeded Rybakina of Kazakhstan calmly played the second set to level the score within minutes.
Australian Open champion Sabalenka did her best to stop Rybakina’s onslaught in the first game of the third set, withstanding nine deuces and two break points to hold serve.
She used a pair of vicious forehands to break Rybakina in the fourth game.
World number two Swiatek then beat sixth seed Ons Jabeur 6-1, 6-2 in just 67 minutes to finish top of her group with a perfect 3-0 record.
US Open champion Coco Gauff completed group play with a 5-7, 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 win over Wimbledon winner Marketa Vondrousova to reach the semi-finals – her place secured by Swiatek’s victory.
Gauff will face American Pegula in the semi-finals, but the focus will be on the fight between Sabalenka and Swiatek.
Still, she’ll finish the time ranked No. 1 in the world, If Sabalenka wins. but if Swiatek wins, she could reclaim the No. 1 spot if she continues to win the title.
This is a rematch of last time’s semifinal in Fort Worth, Texas, where Sabalenka won 6- 2, 2- 6, 6- 1.
They have split two meetings this season, both on clay. Swiatek, the reigning French Open champion, won the final in Stuttgart, while Sabalenka took Madrid.
The clash between Gauff and Pegula will be the first all-American semifinal at the elite season-ending tournament since the round-robin format was reintroduced in 2003.
On Friday, gusty winds and intermittent rain again challenged the players.
Gauff overcame multiple rain delays to take an aggressive approach to earn a second-set tiebreaker and continued to attack in the third.
“ Obviously in the wind, it’s hard-bitten to be as ambitious as you want to be because the bounces are weird and the ball is moving, ” Gauff spoke. “So I am glad I made that adaptation and was not too worried when I missed. I hope you pay a good reward for this.”
