Aryna

Anisimova went into the match having won six of their previous 10 meetings, though they have met at each of the past three Grand Slams and Sabalenka edged that particular head-to-head two wins to one.

She prevailed in straight sets in the French Open fourth round and the US Open final, while Anisimova was victorious over three sets in their Wimbledon semi-final.

Their semi-final in Riyadh promised much – and delivered.

The first two games took 18 minutes to complete. Anisimova saved three break points to hold in the opener, then Sabalenka fought back from 0-40 down to do likewise.

The match clock had just ticked past an hour when Sabalenka eventually clinched the first set.

Anisimova, who failed to win the opening set in all four of her matches during her WTA Finals debut, responded brilliantly by racing into a 4-0 lead in the second and levelling the contest.

In a tight decider, Sabalenka’s backhand return winner to settle the seventh game sealed a decisive break of serve, and there was a warm embrace between the two players at the net when Anisimova sent a forehand wide on match point.

“I told Amanda that she should be proud of her season – she’s played incredible tennis for the whole season and it’s just the beginning,” said Sabalenka.

“I know she’s probably disappointed but there are many more things coming her way.”

It has been a disappointing season in terms of Grand Slam success for Sabalenka, considering she reached the final at the Australian and French Opens.

She also made it to the semi-finals at Wimbledon, but on all three occasions emotions got the better of the 27-year-old.

She cut an anguished figure throughout January’s Australian Open final, where she was out-hit by Madison Keys.

An unforced error count of 70 was her undoing against Coco Gauff at Roland Garros, while she was unable to match Anisimova’s bravery at the All England Club.

The collapses in composure were reminiscent of her early career – and something she seemed to have put behind her when she claimed three Grand Slam titles in the space of 20 months.

But more heartbreak appeared to be on the cards for Sabalenka as Pegula – buoyed by a raucous crowd – came out on top in the first set.

Sabalenka struck the first blow in the opener, swatting away a booming forehand winner to break early, but a poor service game allowed Pegula straight back in.

The top seed’s irritation grew as more unforced errors crept into her game and the crowd loudly put their backing behind Pegula, who broke again and wrapped up the opener in style with a confident love hold.

After taking an off-court break before the start of the second set, Sabalenka returned with a renewed determination and quickly went 3-0 up thanks to a more clinical approach to her shot-making.

That gap was enough to see her through the remainder of the set and force a decider, which Sabalenka took control of from the off with an immediate break.

The 27-year-old furiously fought off Pegula’s attempts to break back and let out a huge roar after wrapping up the victory on her third match point.

Pegula arrived in New York in poor form, winning just two matches in her previous four tournaments and losing in the first week of a major four times in six appearances.

While she brushed away the cobwebs with routine wins over Mayar Sharif, Anna Blinkova, Victoria Azarenka and Ann Li, the quarter-finals presented a different challenge.

Pegula has previously struggled at this stage – last year’s run to the US Open final was her first success in the last eight of a Grand Slam singles draw after six defeats.

But Pegula was unruffled by her 1-6 record, capitalising on a slow start from Krejcikova to race into a 3-0 lead, including breaking to love in the second game.

She dominated the baseline exchanges, hitting deep groundstrokes to trap her opponent at the back of the court and regularly attacked the net to keep her opponent off balance.

Although Krejcikova pulled it back to 4-3, she was left to rue a poor serving performance, with a double fault at 40-30 opening the door for Pegula to break again in the eighth game and then close out the set.

Krejcikova’s serving struggles – winning just 28% of points on her second serve in the opener – continued and a pair of double faults at the start of the second set gifted Pegula an early break.

Pegula was not without her own service wobbles, throwing away a double break lead in the sixth game as Krejcikova sniffed another unlikely comeback.

But she maintained her composure and, a seventh double fault of the afternoon from Krejcikova brought up match point – which Pegula seized at the first attempt.

“I think I’ve been playing some really good tennis. I’ve been playing really solid and having good starts,” Pegula said.

“She had a couple of really good returns when I was serving at 4-1 and we all saw what she did against Taylor, so I’m happy that we’re done.”

Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka set the platform for a US Open second-round victory over Polina Kudermetova by continuing her formidable tie-break record.

Sabalenka, 27, claimed her 17th consecutive tie-break in a 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 win in Wednesday’s night session in New York.

Being able to lock in when it mattered proved crucial once again for the world number one, who has won 10 of her past 11 matches when winning a first-set tie-break.

Taking the opener dampened her Russian opponent’s spirits and led to Sabalenka going on to break early in the second set.

Sabalenka’s service game was still a little scratchy – digging deep to save two break points before holding for 3-1 – but her level improved as she raced towards victory.

On the reason why she has been so dominant in tie-breaks this season, the three-time Grand Slam champion said: “I’m just trying to stay aggressive and fight for every point.

“I know every point can be a key moment of the set so I’m just trying to stay strong and play aggressive.”

Sabalenka is aiming to become the first player to defend the women’s singles title since Serena Williams in 2014.

Next she will face Canada’s Leylah Fernandez, who was a beaten finalist in 2021 when she lost to Britain’s Emma Raducanu.

Sabalenka is aiming to become the first woman since Serena Williams in 2014 to successfully defend the singles title in New York.

She has reached at least the last four in each of the three Grand Slams so far this season, losing the finals of both the French and Australian Open.

But the three-time Grand Slam singles champion arrived at Flushing Meadows on the back of an unconvincing Cincinnati Open display, where she scraped past Emma Raducanu before losing to Elena Rybakina.

In an uneasy start, Sabalenka was broken in the fifth game of the first set by Masarova, before responding immediately to level at 3-3.

It remained on serve until Sabalenka earned a set point at 6-5 up – one which Masarova thought she had saved, only for the top seed to produce a stunning defensive return to the Swiss’s overhead smash.

It forced Masarova into a lobbed return, which Sabalenka sent crashing down the line with a roar to take the first set.

Masarova, the world number 108, was deflated from there on and held serve just once in the second set as Sabalenka raced to victory.

“I feel like I didn’t start my best in the first games, but then I found my rhythm,” Sabalenka said.

The Belarusian will face Polina Kudermetova next, the Russian advancing after opponent Nuria Parrizas-Diaz of Spain retired with injury.

Britain’s Emma Raducanu fell agonisingly short of beating world number one Aryna Sabalenka and earning a statement win at the Cincinnati Open.

Raducanu, 22, lost 7-6 (7-3) 4-6 7-6 (7-5) as defending champion Sabalenka edged a battle lasting more than three hours to reach the fourth round.

Having also pushed Sabalenka at Wimbledon, Raducanu’s performance was further evidence she can severely test the world’s best as her revival continues.

This season, with the British number one’s fitness issues largely behind her and the development of a new-found resilience, she has climbed back into the top 40.

“As I said at Wimbledon I am really happy to see her healthy – mentally and physically,” said Sabalenka.

“Every time she is improving and I can see she is getting back to her best.

“I’m enjoying fighting against her – she is such an incredible player.”

Raducanu could be seeded among the leading 32 players at the upcoming US Open, providing a more favourable draw – in theory at least – at the hard-court Grand Slam which she won as a teenage qualifier in 2021.

On the basis of this display against Sabalenka, there are plenty of positives for Raducanu to take into the final major of the season.

The world number 12 reaches maiden Grand Slam final with a tough three-set win over top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka.

An inspired Amanda Anisimova has torn up the script and soared into her maiden Wimbledon final by outclassing world number one Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 with a display of fierce determination and fearless shot-making.

Anisimova’s victory on Thursday extended her win-loss record over her equally big-hitting rival to 6-3 and kept alive American hopes of a third women’s Grand Slam champion this year after Madison Keys won the Australian Open and Coco Gauff the French Open.

“This doesn’t feel real right now, honestly,” a beaming Anisimova said in an on-court interview.

“Aryna is such a tough competitor, and I was absolutely dying out there. Yeah, I don’t know how I pulled it off. I mean, she’s such an incredible competitor, and she’s an inspiration to me and I’m sure so many other people.

“We’ve had so many tough battles. To come out on top today and be in the final of Wimbledon is so incredibly special. The atmosphere was incredible. I know she’s the number one, but a lot of people were cheering for me. Huge thanks to everyone.”

On a Centre Court where the temperature climbed to 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit), Sabalenka twice rushed to the aid of ill fans by supplying bottles of cold water and an ice pack before she cracked under pressure from her opponent in the 10th game.

The 23-year-old Anisimova, playing in her first major semifinal since her 2019 French Open run as a gifted teenager, made her opponent sweat for every point and wrapped up the opening set when Sabalenka produced a double fault.

With her back against the wall, Sabalenka roared back like a tiger, the animal that has become her totem, and broke for a 4-3 lead en route to levelling up the match at one set apiece after some sloppy errors from 13th-seeded Anisimova.

Having matched each other’s decibel levels in a cacophony of grunting, the duo swapped breaks at the start of the decider, but Anisimova pounced again when Sabalenka sent a shot long and went on to book the final with either Iga Swiatek or Belinda Bencic.

Anisimova, who took a mental health break in 2023, expressed disbelief in making the final of a Grand Slam for the first time at Wimbledon.

“It’s been a year turnaround since coming back and to be in this spot, … I mean, it’s not easy, and so many people dream of competing on this incredible court,” Anisimova added.

“It’s been such a privilege to compete here, and to be in the final is just indescribable.”

Watching Thursday’s second semifinal, which will determine her next opponent, was very much on Anisimova’s mind despite her nearly three-hour battle in testing conditions.

“It’s going to be an incredible match, and whoever comes out on top, it’s going to be a battle in the final,” she said.

Sabalenka, who was beaten in the title match of the Australian Open and French Open, was left to lick her wounds after missing the chance to become the first woman since Serena Williams in 2014-2015 to reach four straight major finals.

Nothing should take away from how brilliant Siegemund was. She stepped forward to the Sabalenka serve, taking it on early, and chopped her way through her opponent’s huge groundstrokes.

Sabalenka held serve just once in the opening set – and even that required three deuce games – and quickly found herself a double break down.

She rescued one as Siegemund served for the first set at 5-2 but slapped a return into the net to concede the opener in 57 minutes.

Sabalenka immediately left the court to reset herself and it seemed to have worked. She broke straight away for a 2-0 lead but, visibly unsettled, conceded it in the next game.

The match could have slipped away in Sabalenka’s next service game as she was taken from 40-0 to deuce – but roared on by the crowd, she held, then won four games in a row to force a decider.

An early break to love in the third set – secured on a brilliant passing winner from Siegemund – looked to have rattled Sabalenka.

She should have broken back in the next game but ended up falling to her knees at the net, arms outstretched as she sent the passing shot wide to go 3-1 down.

A nervy ending saw Sabalenka break back, immediately concede it and then capitalise as Siegemund served to stay in the match, ultimately securing victory with a relieved-looking winner at the net.

“It doesn’t matter if you are a big-hitter or a big server – you have to work, run and earn the victory,” Sabalenka added.

“It is tough, but beautiful.”

British number one Emma Raducanu is out of Wimbledon after falling short of beating top seed Aryna Sabalenka in a gripping third-round match on Centre Court.

Raducanu, 22, put the three-time Grand Slam champion – and clear title favourite – under extreme pressure before succumbing to a 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 defeat.

“It is a difficult to take right now,” Raducanu said.

“It’s hard to take a loss like that but at the same time I’ve pushed Aryna, who is a great champion, so I have to be proud.”

Raducanu, ranked 40th in the world, played with clarity and confidence throughout most of a captivating contest.

Had the 2021 US Open champion served out the opener at 6-5 after saving seven set points in the previous game, or converted a set point in the tie-break, the momentum of the lead might have carried her to a notable victory.

However, the deficit proved too much to overturn – even though Raducanu broke to lead 4-1 in the second set.

The long rallies she needed to break down Sabalenka eventually took their toll and Raducanu began to look fatigued as the world number one fought back.

Sabalenka, who is aiming for a first SW19 title, goes on to face Belgian 24th seed Elise Mertens in the fourth round on Sunday.

“Emma played such incredible tennis and she pushed me really hard to get this win,” said the 27-year-old Belarusian.

“I had to fight for every point to get this win. I’m pretty sure she will get back to the top 10 soon.”

Before the tournament started, Raducanu said she did not “truthfully expect much” from herself over the next fortnight.

After losing in Eastbourne last week to Australian teenager Maya Joint, Raducanu admitted she needed to get her “head in the game” for the start of Wimbledon.

She explained she had received some “pretty bad” personal news which she wished to keep private and, on the tennis side of her life, has been coping with ongoing back spasms since the off season.

But the 2021 US Open champion came through her opening match – a tricky occasion against British teenager Mimi Xu – without a major scare and upped her level again in a dominant victory over Vondrousova.

“That’s quite a statement that Emma has put out,” said former British number one Annabel Croft, who was analysing the match for BBC Radio 5 Live.

“I don’t think she could be hitting the ball any better, I really don’t. She was absolutely middling it.

“I would think that would be quite worrying for Sabalenka actually because she’ll be facing Raducanu at her best.

“If Raducanu can play anything close to that level again, although she may not be allowed to because Sabalenka will bring a lot of power, she will give the world number one a run for her money.”