RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina will meet Saturday night for the WTA Finals title, a fitting finish between two players who’ve been flawless all week. Both are 4-0 in Riyadh, navigating the toughest field of the season to reach the championship match.

On Friday, No. 6 seed Rybakina battled past Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, while No. 1 Sabalenka outlasted Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

The winner will close out 2025 with $5.23 million in prize money and 1,500 rankings points — and a defining title to end the year.

One thing we know for sure: With Coco Gauff’s loss in her final round-robin match, there will be a first-time champion at the WTA Finals for the 10th straight year.

This is Sabalenka’s fifth trip to the year-end championship. Her run to the final this week matches her career-best performance at the Finals, a runner-up finish to Caroline Garcia in a tight match three years ago in Fort Worth. She also reached the semifinals in 2023 and 2024.

Rybakina, playing in her third consecutive WTA Finals, had never escaped the round-robin stage.

Rybakina and Sabalenka are more than familiar with each other’s game. This will be their 14th meeting, with Sabalenka holding an 8-5 edge. Rybakina hasn’t played anyone more than she’s played the World No. 1.

When these two get together, the ball flies.

They’ll be looking to make one last great impression before a few weeks off and the customary tropical island voyage; Sabalenka, for one, is headed to the Maldives.

Brad Kallet and Greg Garber make the case for each of the finalists.

Advantage, Sabalenka

Perhaps no one on tour is hotter than Rybakina right now, Greg, but no one has been better this year than Sabalenka.

And forget what she did for the bulk of the year, for a second. Since the start of the US Open, which she won for the second straight season, she’s won 14 of 15 matches. And with four more wins in Riyadh this week, she’s now a ridiculous 39-6 on hard courts in 2025.

She’s been in command against every type of opponent this week — the movers in Jasmine Paolini and Coco Gauff, the counterpuncher in Jessica Pegula and, most recently, the power hitter in Amanda Anisimova. In that semifinal, she played assertively from start to finish, holding her ground and staying composed late in the third set to close it out. The win was a hard-earned one against an opponent who matched her power and pace for much of Friday’s match.

The World No. 1 also has significant experience at this event, to the tune of 20 career matches and a final appearance in 2022. Winning here is one of the last few major boxes she needs to check, and I expect her to come out firing and roaring early against Rybakina.

And yes, their head-to-head can’t be ignored. This will be Round 14, dating all the way back to 2019, and Sabalenka has taken two of three this year, most recently a straightforward 6-3, 6-3 win in the Wuhan quarterfinals last month. 

“I’m super excited facing her,” the four-time Grand Slam champion said of Rybakina after her victory over Anisimova,” Sabalenka said. “I’m ready to bring everything I have left in the season. It’s the last match of the season. I’m ready to fight.” — Brad Kallet

Advantage, Rybakina

By her high standards, Brad, it’s been just an OK year for Rybakina. She won two WTA 500 titles, in Strasbourg and Ningbo. But she’s found something swinging through Asia — the kind of belief that carried her to the Wimbledon title three years ago.

Rybakina’s won 10 straight matches — a walkover in Tokyo notwithstanding — and, if she can keep serving the way she has, it will be 11 on Saturday night.

Just listen to Pegula, who was on the wrong end of 15 aces in the semifinals.

“I felt like in these conditions and on this court, especially with her serve, it’s tough when she’s getting free points every single game,” Pegula explained.

Rybakina, by far the ace leader among Hologic WTA Tour players, has 503 for the year. Pegula played a terrific tactical match but couldn’t survive those free points.

And don’t underestimate Rybakina’s resilience. That comeback against Pegula was her ninth of the year; only Madison Keys (10) has more.

“Aryna, she’s a great champion,” Rybakina said of Sabalenka. “It’s always difficult to play against her. She has a big serve, big shots. We’ve played so many times, it’s always very tricky. I will need to be focused from the first point.”

Riyadh 2025 is starting to feel a lot like Cancun 2022. That was when Iga Swiatek roared through the field, beating three Top 5 players in Gauff, Sabalenka and Pegula in the final. Rybakina has equaled that feat, beating Swiatek, Anisimova and Pegula.

She has looked so comfortable on this indoor court at King Saud Arena — and the surface aids and abets her booming serve. The result she’ll hold in her head is last year’s round-robin victory over Sabalenka on this same court. She won that in three sets, taking the decider 6-1.

That serve, and that memory, will carry her to the title, Brad. — Greg Garber