Amanda Anisimova fought off Iga Sviatek 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 6-2 in a winner-takes-all match at the WTA finals on Wednesday to join Elena Rybakina in the semi-finals.
At the same time, the 24-year-old Anisimova remains in the hunt for a first crown in her championship debut at the end of the season.
The stage was set for a much-anticipated clash between the two after Sviatek beat Anisimova 6-0 6-0 to lift her first Wimbledon crown in July, before the American exacted revenge in the US Open quarter-finals in September.
The second world tennis player Sviatek was eliminated from the WTA finals in the group stage
After a torrid start to their last meeting and 12 straight holds of serve, Poland’s Sviatek stepped up to take control of the first set in a tiebreak, winning it when Anisimova hit a long forehand.
The battle against exhaustion continued in the second set, before Anisimova turned up the intensity on her forehand and earned the first break of the match in the 10th game to force a decider at the King Saud University Sports Arena.
Buoyed by confidence, Anisimova made another break to take a 3-1 lead in the third set to put the pressure on World No.2 Sviatek, and the resilient 24-year-old held firm to complete her comeback victory.
For the second time since losing the 2025 Wimbledon final 6-0 6-0 to Sviatek, Anisimova beat the Pole in a big clash
Rybakina defeated the alternative Aleksandrov and earned a place in the semi-finals
Rybakina earlier continued her dominant run with a 6-4 6-4 victory over second seed Ekaterina Alexandrova after Madison Keys pulled out of their clash due to illness and Mira Andreeva was unfit to play.
“It was difficult, especially in the second set when I was up and lost my concentration a little bit,” Rybakina said.
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The most interesting matches of Elena Rybakina vs. Ekaterina Aleksandrova from the WTA final
“Ekaterina is always a tough opponent, she also has a big serve. It was a bit difficult to come back at first, so I’m quite happy that I managed to win in two sets in the end.”
Rybakina came into the match on the back of wins over Anisimova and Sviatek, but the former Wimbledon champion was under pressure against newcomer Aleksandrova, before breaking in the ninth game and then taking the opening set by holding.
The Kazakh, who fought off three break points in the first set, increased her huge serve and powerful hitting early in the second to take a 3-1 lead and apply the pressure to close in on another win in the Serena Williams group.
Another break thanks to a strong return of serve left Rybakina one game away and the 26-year-old eventually wrapped up the victory despite some struggles with her own delivery late in the clash.
World number one Aryna Sabalenka takes on Coco Gauff on Thursday, with both players fighting for a place in the semi-finals of Steffi Graf’s group, while Jessica Pegula can boost her chances when she meets eliminated Jasmine Paolini.
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