Elena Rybakina claimed the biggest victory of her career since her 2022 Wimbledon triumph, defeating world number one Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 7-6 (7/0) in the WTA Finals title match in Riyadh on Saturday.
The 25-year-old Kazakh delivered a clinical display built around her trademark serve and unflinching defence, becoming both the first player from Kazakhstan and the first representing an Asian nation to win the prestigious season-ending trophy.
Rybakina’s flawless run through the week earned her an unbeaten 3-0 record in the group stage, a record $5.235 million in prize money and a year-end ranking of world number five.
“It’s been an incredible week. I honestly didn’t expect much coming in, so to win it all feels amazing,” said Rybakina, who had been managing a shoulder injury throughout the tournament.
The tour’s ace leader with 516 for the season, Rybakina fired 13 more in the final and finished with 48 across the week. Her 11th straight win also lifted her career record against Sabalenka to 6-8.
Rybakina only sealed her spot at the Finals at the last moment, following her title win in Ningbo and a semi-final run in Tokyo before withdrawing.
However, her victory was not without tension off court. After the match, she declined to pose for photos with Sabalenka and WTA chief executive Portia Archer, a move that reignited questions about her strained relationship with the tour.
Rybakina has been at odds with the WTA since her coach, Stefano Vukov, was suspended in February for breaching the organisation’s code of conduct. His year-long ban was later overturned on appeal, allowing him to return to her team in August.
Asked about the photo snub, Rybakina said she preferred to keep the reason private between herself and Archer. On whether any reconciliation talks had taken place, she replied: “We are all doing our job. We had the opportunity to have conversations but in the end it never happened, so we’ll just keep it this way.”
On court, the final was another chapter in one of the tour’s fiercest rivalries. Facing each other for the 14th time, Rybakina and Sabalenka traded heavy groundstrokes from the start. Rybakina gained the crucial break in the sixth game when her defensive lob forced an error, and she sealed the first set after 44 minutes.
Her serve remained unbreakable in the second, dropping only two points in four service games. Sabalenka, under pressure, saved four break points and later earned two set points at 5-4, but Rybakina held firm to force a tiebreak, which she swept 7-0 to seal victory in one hour and 47 minutes.
Rybakina struck 36 winners to 22 unforced errors in an efficient performance.
Despite defeat, Sabalenka closed her season with a record $15,008,519 in prize money, surpassing Serena Williams’s 2013 total of $12,385,572.
“Not my best day, but Elena was simply better,” Sabalenka admitted. “She absolutely crushed me today. I’m happy to see her playing at her best again.”
Fighting back tears, the Belarusian added: “Maybe not the result we wanted, but there’s so much to be proud of. I guess I’m getting old, getting a bit emotional.”
