Elena Rybakina is through to the championship match at the WTA Finals in Riyadh after a hard-fought three-set victory over Jessica Pegula in the semifinals. The final score of 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in Rybakina’s favor secured her a place in the biggest final of her season. The match was a grueling contest that saw Pegula capture the first set before Rybakina mounted a successful comeback, demonstrating her resilience and powerful game to close out the match.

In her post-match interview, as reported by The Tennis Letter on X, Rybakina acknowledged the challenge Pegula presented, stating, “It was such a tough battle. It’s always very difficult to play against Jessica and she started pretty well. I was a bit slow. Again, it was very quick. She broke me, so yeah, it was not easy to come back, but I’m glad that I managed to find my way in the second set and win it in this three-set battle.”

She went on to highlight the crucial role her biggest weapon played in the comeback, stating, “Yeah, definitely the serve when I needed it helped me. I was trying to stay focused each point and we had some very tough rallies. I’m really happy that in the end I managed to push myself a bit more and won it.”

Elena Rybakina’s path to the final has been marked by impressive victories, none more so than her stunning comeback against World No. 2 Iga Swiatek in the group stage. After dropping the first set in that match, Rybakina won twelve of the next thirteen games to secure a 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 victory, a win that guaranteed her a spot in the semifinals and snapped a four-match losing streak against Swiatek in 2025.

Her dominant form in Riyadh is the culmination of a late-season surge where she clinched her spot at the Finals by winning the Ningbo Open and reaching the semi-finals in Tokyo during the final weeks of the regular season. This semifinal victory over Pegula avenges a loss to the American from the 2023 WTA Finals. Rybakina’s recent form is quite something, but she isn’t shy to admit the difficulty of the competition.

Elena Rybakina’s candid thoughts about the WTA Finals

Elena Rybakina wrapped up her group-stage run at the 2025 WTA Finals with an impressive perfect record, taking down alternate Ekaterina Alexandrova in straight sets in Riyadh. The final score ended up being 6-4, 6-4, with Rybakina’s strong winners and serves making all the difference, even though Alexandrova put up a late fight in the second set.

Rybakina spoke about the match challenges during her on-court interview, saying, “Yeah, it was tough, especially in the second set. I was up, and then, yeah, I lost a bit of concentration. And, I mean, Ekaterina is always a tough opponent. She also has a big serve, and especially in the beginning, it was difficult to return. So, yeah, I’m pretty happy that I managed to win in two sets in the end.”

Since Alexandrova made a great start to the match and was almost in the lead in the first set, her remarks about her powerful serve were especially fitting. She scored six aces, just like Rybakina, and her win percentage on her first serve was 76%, which is pretty close to Rybakina’s 77%. The Kazak star will now compete in the finals against either Aryna Sabalenka or Amanda Anisimova.