Aryna Sabalenka and Amanda Anisimova traded power for more than two hours Friday night before the world No. 1 pulled through.

WTA Finals: Scores | Draws | Order of play

Sabalenka prevailed 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in a hard-hitting WTA Finals semifinal to reach her second career title match at the year-end championships, where she will face Elena Rybakina.

From the opening game it was clear neither player would give an inch. Anisimova matched Sabalenka’s pace and aggression, but the top seed steadied late to close out the deciding set after 2 hours and 21 minutes on court.

“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 after the match. “That was an incredible fight and I’m super happy to get the win.”

The grind was evident from the start. Consider the numbers from just the first two games:

30 points played
18 minutes elapsed
14 combined unforced errors
9 deuce points
6 break points

It was part of a first set that lasted exactly one hour and featured 94 points, culminating in Sabalenka pulling it out with her second break of serve.

Anisimova’s trouble came from failing to convert break points (0-for-5 compared with Sabalenka’s 2-for-8) and piling up 24 unforced errors. She cut that number in half in the second set while converting all three of her break points to force a decider.

Having won 13 consecutive three-setters, Anisimova seemed poised to continue the streak. But the US Open champion showed her mettle, striking first with a backhand winner down the line to break for a 4-3 lead.

“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, keep making her work for every point,’” Sabalenka said. “I felt like in that game it was the key; this mentality was the key.

“I was just trying to make her play the extra ball and it really worked and I was able to break. And that game gave me so much energy, power and confidence going into my serve.”

Anisimova had one last chance when a Sabalenka double fault offered a break point, but the Belarusian’s first serve carried her out of trouble and out to a 5-3 lead. Minutes later, she closed out the victory and set up a final with Rybakina, who defeated Jessica Pegula earlier in the day.

After the match, Sabalenka took a moment to praise her opponent’s breakout 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. I know right now she’s probably disappointed, but many more things are coming her way for sure.”

Anisimova was less prepared to dissect her performance, and the season that preceded it.

“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. There are things I can learn from this match but it’s too soon to process it.”

For Sabalenka, the win continues a season of milestones:

Clinched the Year-End No. 1 ranking
Reached nine finals, most on the WTA Tour in 2025
Advanced to 12 semifinals, also a WTA Tour high
Won 63 matches, surpassing Iga Swiatek for most on the WTA Tour this season
Became the first player since Angelique Kerber in 2016 to reach three Grand Slam finals and the WTA Finals in one season

Sabalenka will face Rybakina for the 14th time, becoming her most-played opponent. She leads the head-to-head 8-5, winning their most recent meeting in Wuhan earlier this season.

“It’s going to be another powerful game,” Sabalenka said. “I feel like today was great preparation for Elena. I’m looking forward to leaving everything I have in the last match of the season and fighting for this beautiful trophy.

“I’ll definitely go out there tomorrow and fight for every point.”