RIYADH:

Elena Rybakina claimed a 10th consecutive victory by defeating Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 to reach the championship match at the WTA Finals in Riyadh for the first time.

The Kazakh fired 15 aces and won 73 percent of her first-serve points on her way to a hard-fought win.

The 26-year-old Rybakina awaits top seed Aryna Sabalenka or Amanda Anisimova in the final, with a shot at clinching her biggest title since 2022 Wimbledon along with a record $5.23 million.

"It was such a tough battle, it's always very difficult to play against Jessica," said Rybakina, who is now 3-3 head-to-head against Pegula.

"She started pretty well, I was a bit slow. She broke me, it was not easy to come back but I'm glad I managed to find my way in the second set and win it in this three-set battle.

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