Jessica Pegula vs Elena Rybakina Tips, Prediction & Live Stream - Rybakina to reach final in Riyadh

Andrew Hendrie

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Last updated: Thu 06 Nov 2025 22:45

Andrew Hendrie 06 Nov 2025

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Jessica Pegula vs Elena Rybakina predictions for Friday's WTA Finals semi-final
Rybakina has won eight of her last 10 matches vs top 10 players
Six of Rybakina's last eight wins have been in straight sets
Rybakina has won two of her last three meetings with Pegula - and both were in straight sets
The match is scheduled to start at 2.00am AEDT on Saturday November 8

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Elena Rybakina (Photo by Getty Images)

Jessica Pegula vs Elena Rybakina Tips, Prediction & Live Stream

Elena Rybakina will be looking to continue her blistering form when she comes up against Jessica Pegula in the WTA Finals semi-finals in Riyadh on Friday.

Jessica Pegula vs Elena Rybakina Tips, Prediction & Live Stream
Head To Head
Jessica Pegula Form
Elena Rybakina Form
Live Stream

It's been a consistent season for Rybakina, but there has been a distinct lack of one big, standout result. Could that be about to change at the season-ending championships? Rybakina has advanced through to the semi-finals of the WTA Finals for the first time in her career and she's done it in style, easing past Amanda Anisimova and Ekaterina Alexandrova in straight sets, along with absolutely obliterating Iga Swiatek 6-1 6-0 in the final two sets of their group clash. Rybakina is serving out of a tree - she's fired down 18 aces across her group matches, winning 80.2 per cent of her first serve points, which is the best out of any player. The Kazakh is also producing some brilliant tennis on return - she's converted 12 of her 16 break points. Combine that with her lethal serving and you can see why Rybakina looks almost unstoppable right now.

Pegula must always be respected - at her best, which she's close to at the moment, she's extremely tough to break down from the baseline, consistently retrieving and redirecting play, forcing her opponents into uncomfortable positions. However, when two players are playing well, I always lean with the one with the higher ceiling and who has more firepower - and that's undoubtedly Rybakina. Backing the former Wimbledon champion to advance into her first year-end championships final.

Head To Head

Pegula leads 3-2, although Rybakina has won two of the last three meetings between the pair - including a convincing most-recent 6-4 6-1 victory at the Billie Jean Cup in Shenzhen a couple of months ago.

Jessica Pegula Form

Pegula comes into this clash with a 53-22 season record, capping off what has been a surprisingly unpredictable year by her usual reliable standards.

Long regarded as one of the WTA’s most consistent performers, Pegula has endured patches of inconsistency in 2025, failing to win back-to-back matches in nine of her 11 tournaments between Stuttgart and Cincinnati. Still, her peaks have been impressive: six finals, including titles in Bad Homburg, Charleston and Austin, plus runner-up finishes in Miami, Wuhan and Adelaide.

The American found her groove again on the hard-court swing, reaching the semi-finals at both the US Open and Beijing before advancing to the final in Wuhan, where she fell to compatriot Coco Gauff.

Pegula quickly flipped the script at the WTA Finals, opening with a gutsy 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-2 victory over Gauff, capitalising on her opponent’s 45 unforced errors and 17 double faults to earn a statement win.

However, her momentum stalled in the next outing — the 31-year-old went down in three sets to World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3, leaving her Finals campaign delicately poised heading into the final group match.

But Pegula wasn't to be denied a place in her second WTA Finals semi-final (she also made the final of the event when it was held in Cancun in 2023), producing a superb display to ease past Jasmine Paolini 6-2 6-3 in just 63 minutes. It was Pegula's first straight sets win since September in Beijing, ending a streak of eight three-setters.

Elena Rybakina Form

Rybakina enters this matchup with a 57-19 record for the season and is looking to close out 2025 in style.

Consistency has been her hallmark — the Kazakh has reached nine semi-finals and captured titles in Strasbourg and Ningbo, though a signature, statement-level triumph had been missing for much of the year.

That narrative has shifted over the past month. Rybakina is riding an eight-match winning streak, having clinched her WTA Finals berth with the Ningbo title and reaching the Tokyo semi-finals before withdrawing to preserve her energy for the year-end championships.

She began her WTA Finals campaign in ruthless form, dismissing Amanda Anisimova 6-3 6-1, then delivering a stunning comeback to defeat Iga Swiatek 3-6 6-1 6-0 in one of the most dominant displays of the tournament so far.

Rybakina continued her sizzling form by defeating alternate Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-4 6-4, allowing her to end the group stage with a perfect 3-0 record.

Now into the semi-finals of the season-ending championships for the first time, Rybakina has won eight of her last 10 matches against top-10 opponents — signalling she’s peaking at precisely the right moment.

Live Stream

Watch and bet on Jessica Pegula vs Elena Rybakina live WTA Finals tennis from Riyadh.

You can watch and bet on the match live at Unibet > Tennis > WTA Finals with the action available to stream on desktop and mobile.

Geo-restrictions apply, you'll need a funded account or to have placed a bet in the last 24 hours to gain access. 18+ terms and conditions apply.

Verdict

Jessica Pegula v Elena Rybakina

Rybakina is operating at an extremely high level right now - she's consistently beating top 10 players and she crushed Pegula in their most-recent clash a couple of months ago.

Backing the Kazakh to prevail in straights.