Aryna Sabalenka explains why she "wouldn't care" if she lost to Amanda Anisimova after their thrilling WTA Finals SF showdown

Aryna Sabalenka and Amanda Anisimova recently engaged in a thrilling battle against each other in the semifinals of the WTA Finals. After the match, the World No.1 explained why she ‘wouldn’t care’ if she lost to Anisimova after their grueling three-set fight.

Sabalenka kicked off her campaign in Riyadh with an incredible showing. The Belarusian went undefeated in her group stage matches, outdoing Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula and Jasmine Paolini. On the other hand, Anisimova also put up a strong performance in her round robin encounters, defeating Iga Swiatek and Madison Keys.

On Friday, November 4, Aryna Sabalenka and Amanda Anisimova battled each other in the semifinals of the WTA Finals, with Sabalenka clinching a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 victory. After the match, the 27-year-old heaped praise on her opponent, saying in an on-court interview,

“She’s always pushing me to play my best tennis and honestly, I wouldn't care if I would lose this match because I think we played an incredible match and both deserve this place in the finals, that was an incredible fight. Super happy to get the win and I just told Amanda that she should be proud of her season. She’s played incredible tennis the whole season and it's just the beginning, you know. I know now probably she's disappointed, but many more things coming her way for sure.”

For Sabalenka, this win over Amanda Anisimova allows her to move forward into her second summit clash at the WTA Finals.

Aryna Sabalenka shares her thoughts on her upcoming battle against Elena Rybakina

Sabalenka at the 2025 WTA Finals (Image Source: Getty)

Up next, Aryna Sabalenka will face off against Elena Rybakina at the WTA Finals. Rybakina has also enjoyed an incredible run in Riyadh, beating Iga Swiatek, Amanda Anisimova, and Ekaterina Alexandrova in her group stage matches, before outdoing Jessica Pegula in the semifinals.

Speaking on facing Rybakina, Sabalenka shared her honest thoughts about her upcoming battle saying,

“It's going to be another powerful game. I feel like today was a great preparation for Elena and yeah, I'm looking forward to leave everything I have in the last match of the season and and fight for this beautiful trophy..I'll definitely go out there tomorrow and fight for every point.”

Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina have previously played each other 14 times over the course of their careers, with the former having won eight of these encounters. While Sabalenka holds the edge in terms of the head-to-head record, Rybakina's strong showing in recent matches make her a staunch competitor for the title.