{"id":4171,"date":"2023-11-03T02:09:59","date_gmt":"2023-11-03T06:09:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/sport\/aryna-sabalenka-vs-elena-rybakina-halted-by-rain-at-wta-finals\/03\/11\/2023\/"},"modified":"2023-11-03T02:09:59","modified_gmt":"2023-11-03T06:09:59","slug":"aryna-sabalenka-vs-elena-rybakina-halted-by-rain-at-wta-finals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/sport\/aryna-sabalenka-vs-elena-rybakina-halted-by-rain-at-wta-finals\/03\/11\/2023\/","title":{"rendered":"Aryna Sabalenka vs. Elena Rybakina halted by rain at WTA Finals"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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CANCUN, Mexico — Aryna Sabalenka<\/a>‘s bid to clinch the year-end No. 1 ranking was put on hold Thursday night when her WTA Finals<\/a> round-robin match against Elena Rybakina<\/a> was suspended in the second set because of rain.<\/p>\n

With the winner headed to the semifinals at the season-ending championship and the loser eliminated, Sabalenka took the opening set 6-1. Rybakina was about to serve for the second while ahead 5-3 when the latest in a series of showers interrupted play after 11:30 p.m. local time. After waiting to see whether the weather would clear up, organizers decided to call things off and push back the resumption until Friday afternoon.<\/p>\n

There were a half-dozen rain delays that halted action for around two hours in total — and one spectator held up a sign reading, “No more rain!!!” The longest break lasted 1 hour, 10 minutes early in the second set.<\/p>\n

Sabalenka vs. Rybakina was a rematch of this year’s Australian Open final. Sabalenka won that matchup in January for her first Grand Slam title.<\/p>\n

Earlier Thursday, Jessica Pegula<\/a> finished her round-robin singles play with a 3-0 record a year after going 0-3. She headed to the semifinals with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Maria Sakkari<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Pegula already had clinched first place in the four-player group by virtue of earlier straight-set victories against Sabalenka and Rybakina on the outdoor hard court built for the event.<\/p>\n

The fifth-seeded Pegula extended her overall winning streak to eight matches, including a title at the Korean Open last month.<\/p>\n

The 29-year-old American has won all six sets she’s played in Cancun so far.<\/p>\n

“Getting through 3-0 is really kind of a cool accomplishment,” Pegula said, “especially coming off of last year, where it was the opposite.”<\/p>\n

Sakkari, who is ranked No. 9 but got into the eight-player field when No. 8 Karolina Muchova<\/a> withdrew with an injured right wrist, went 0-3 and dropped every set.<\/p>\n

“That’s not the way I wanted my season to end,” Sakkari said. “I think that physically and mentally, I was paying a toll for how much I traveled and how much I played and how emotional this season was.”<\/p>\n

Pegula had fewer winners than Sakkari, 12-7, but also made roughly half as many unforced errors, 35-18, on a windy evening. Pegula’s doubles match with partner Coco Gauff<\/a> was postponed because of the rain.<\/p>\n

The two semifinalists from the other singles group will be settled Friday, when US Open champion Gauff takes on Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova<\/a>, and four-time major champ Iga Swiatek<\/a> meets three-time Slam runner-up Ons Jabeur<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CANCUN, Mexico — Aryna Sabalenka‘s bid to clinch the year-end No. 1 ranking was put on hold Thursday night when her WTA