Rybakina defeats Sabalenka in straight sets to advance to WTA Finals in Riyadh

Elena Rybakina beat Aryna Sabalenka 6-0 and 7-7 (7-5 in tiebreak) on the center court of the WTA Finals, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this Friday (8). The Kazakh, number 5 in the world, dominated the first set and defined the second in a tiebreaker. The confrontation was part of the group stage of the tournament that brings together the eight best tennis players of the season.

The match lasted 1 hour and 28 minutes. Rybakina converted 1 of 6 break points and won 71% of first serve points. Sabalenka did not break her opponent’s serve on 5 occasions.

• Rybakina recorded 5 aces to Sabalenka’s 13.
• The Kazakh committed 2 double faults; the Belarusian, 7.
• Rybakina won 82% of the points on the second serve.

Domain in the first set

Rybakina took a 3-0 lead in 12 minutes. Sabalenka did not confirm any service games in the opening half.

The Kazakh kept 67% of first serves in play. She won 11 service games throughout the match.

Decisive tiebreak

Sabalenka reacted in the second set and forced a tiebreak. Rybakina won 7-5 after mini-break in the tenth point.

The Belarusian led 5-4 in the tiebreak. Rybakina closed with a forehand winner.

Match Numbers

Rybakina scored 82 total points to Sabalenka’s 64. The Kazakh won 13 games; the opponent, 5.

Sabalenka converted 0 of 5 break points. Rybakina won 50% of the points on the second serve.

History among tennis players

The two faced each other 8 times on the circuit. Rybakina leads 5-3 after Friday’s win.

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Sabalenka won the last three duels before the Finals. Rybakina interrupted the sequence.

Group sorting

Rybakina has 2 wins in the group stage. Sabalenka records 1 win and 1 loss.

The Kazakh will face Jasmine Paolini in the next round. Sabalenka plays against Zheng Qinwen.

Technical details

Rybakina won 44 points on her own serve. Sabalenka scored 53 points on her own serve.

The match recorded 20 Kazakh winners. Sabalenka produced 29 winners but committed 35 unforced errors.

Rybakina made 18 unforced errors. She won 29 points receiving serve.

Next steps

The WTA Finals distributes US$ 15 million in prize money. The top two from each group advance to the semi-finals.

Rybakina seeks her second Finals title. She was runner-up in 2023.