40 - Aryna Sabalenka has made her 40th career WTA level semi-final: since 2017, when she made her first in Tashkent, she is the player with the most semi-finals. Custom. #WTAFinals | @WTA @WTA_insider @WTAFinals
MATCH REPORT | 2023 WTA Finals: Aryna SABALENKA battles past Elena RYBAKINA in a Rain-Delayed Clash
WTASaturday, 04 November 2023 at 00:09
Aryna Sabalenka defeated Elena Rybakina 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, securing the second place in the Bacalar Group of the WTA Finals.
In an exciting match marked by constant rain interruptions, the battle for the second spot in the Bacalar Group of the WTA Finals was decided. Prior to this match, Jessica Pegula had already secured the top spot in the group by defeating Maria Sakkari undefeated, earning her a spot in the semifinals.
Both players had recorded victories against Sakkari and suffered losses to Pegula in their previous group stage matches. The winner of this match would claim the second semifinal spot. Sabalenka also carried the responsibility of winning to maintain her world No. 1 ranking, as she faced off against Swiatek, who had performed exceptionally well in the Finals.
In the first set, Sabalenka took control right from the start, capitalizing on Rybakina's service struggles. Both players faced challenges due to strong winds that, at times, made serving accurately a daunting task. Sabalenka managed to secure two service breaks in the first three games, which proved decisive for Rybakina, as she couldn't break her opponent's serve and conceded the set 6-2. Sabalenka had a solid first-serve percentage at 75%, of which she won 78%, while Rybakina had a 59% first-serve percentage, winning 65% of them.
In the second set, Rybakina improved her serving, achieving a 70% first-serve percentage and winning 76% of those points. Sabalenka, on the other hand, experienced a notable drop in her first-serve percentage, down to 58%, with a 40% success rate. Despite her struggles to hold her serve, Sabalenka was the first to secure a break, although her opponent promptly recovered in the following game.
With a score of 4-3 in favor of the world No. 4, another break occurred, and Rybakina had the opportunity to serve for the set. However, the match was suspended due to rain and postponed to the following day. Today, when the match resumed, Sabalenka successfully held her serve and secured the set, forcing a third set.
The thrilling beginning of the third set featured a 24-point game with nine deuces, where Sabalenka managed to hold her serve. With the score at 2-1 in her favor, three consecutive breaks followed, giving the world No. 1 the advantage. Finally, Sabalenka held her serve and clinched the victory with a score of 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.
In the semifinals, her most likely opponent will be Iga Swiatek. Although Swiatek doesn't have the first-place guarantee mathematically, even a 0-6, 0-6 defeat to Jabeur could be enough, depending on whether Coco Gauff achieves a similar result against Vondrousova.
claps 0visitors 332
Just In
Popular News
Latest Comments
- Rybakina is back!!
mandoist21-12-2024 - She sems to have a turbulent relationship with The Truth. Not even smartenough to make an excuse like "I severely twisted my ankle yesterday" -- then be seen shopping in some city next day while "recuperating"!mandoist21-12-2024
- Why do you even publish this TwatCaster's PATHETIC stunt for attention? There's plenty of reasons why imbeciles like him are 'talking' and people like Iga Swiatek are 'walking the walk'. Tennisuptodate should be above this tripe.mandoist16-12-2024
- If and when Political Correctness and gullible hearts over-rule BIOLOGY, the Human world begins its already seeming decline.mandoist15-12-2024
- The new generation has arrived and these guys need to do it with the left overs.
AceOfBase13-12-2024 - Every young, inexperiend CEO has "better" ideas (and friends to hire).mandoist12-12-2024
- What a load of nonsense. Emotional stress definitely didn’t cause her wrist or ankle injuries.Lyca10-12-2024
- Taylor Fritz 🎾 – the surprising third for many. 🎄 A great Christmas tree quiz question! 🎅✨MrAndreeva10-12-2024
- Simona Halep taking the axe out 🪓😮💨MrAndreeva08-12-2024
- ITIA is literally a Secret Organization. Way past time for a neutral entity to oversee, if not guide, these Elitists within ITIA whom enjoy their ability to keep their "investigations" in a business as usual format behind closed doors!!mandoist08-12-2024
