Anisimova came into the match having won six of their previous 10 meetings, although they have met in each of the last three Grand Slams and Sabalenka edged that particular matchup two to one.
She won in straight sets in the fourth round of the French Open and the final of the US Open, while Anisimova won in three sets in the Wimbledon semi-final.
Their semi-final in Riyadh promised a lot and it delivered.
The first two games took 18 minutes to complete. Anisimova saved three break points to hold on in the first match, then Sabalenka recovered from 0-40 down to do the same.
The match clock had just turned one hour when Sabalenka finally took the first set.
Anisimova, who failed to win the first set in her four matches during her WTA Finals debut, responded brilliantly by taking a 4-0 lead in the second and leveling the contest.
In a decider, Sabalenka’s backhand return winner to settle the seventh game sealed a decisive break of serve, and there was a warm embrace between the two players at the net when Anisimova sent a forehand wide on match point.
“I told Amanda that she should be proud of her season: she has played incredible tennis all season and this is just the beginning,” Sabalenka said.
“I know she’s probably disappointed, but there’s a lot more going on for her.”
