World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka to face Iga Swiatek in last four of WTA Finals

World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka defeated Elena Rybakina 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in a rain-disrupted group match to book a semi-final clash with Iga Swiatek at the WTA Finals.

The Belarusian, who finished second in her group behind unbeaten American Jessica Pegula, kept her bid for the year-end No 1 ranking on track with a victory that took two days to complete.

She had won the first set but was trailing in the second when play was halted Thursday night after multiple rain delays.

Some 16 hours later, she and Rybakina returned to the outdoor hardcourts in Cancun, where fourth-ranked Rybakina of Kazakhstan calmly served out the second set to level the match in a matter of minutes.

Australian Open champion Sabalenka dug deep to halt Rybakina's momentum in the opening game of the third set, surviving nine deuces and two break points to hold serve.

She used a pair of ferocious forehands to break Rybakina in the fourth game.

World No 2 Swiatek then downed sixth-seeded Ons Jabeur 6-1, 6-2 in just 67 minutes to finish top of her group with a perfect 3-0 record.

Gauff will face fellow American Pegula in the semi-finals, but it's the clash between Sabalenka and Swiatek that will be in the spotlight.

2 - The World No. 1 has reached the semi-finals at the WTA Finals for back-to-back seasons (Iga Swiatek in 2022 and Aryna Sabalenka in 2023) for the first time since 2013-2014 (Serena Williams in both editions). Dualism.#WTAFinals | @WTA @WTA_insider @WTAFinals pic.twitter.com/jtvLDbmHGn

If Sabalenka wins, she will finish the year ranked as world No 1, but if Swiatek triumphs she could regain the top spot if she goes on to win the title.

It's a rematch of last year's semi-final in Fort Worth, Texas, where Sabalenka won 6-2, 2-6, 6-1.

The two have