Rybakina Stuns Sabalenka to Capture WTA Finals Crown in Riyadh

Posted : 09 November 2025

Elena Rybakina captured her biggest crown since winning Wimbledon in 2022 after overpowering world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 7-6(7/0) in the WTA Finals championship match in Riyadh on Saturday. The world No. 6 delivered a dominant performance built on precision serving and steely defence to become the first Kazakh and the first player representing an Asian country to win the prestigious season-ending title.

Rybakina completed an unbeaten campaign in Riyadh, winning all three of her round-robin matches before sweeping the knockout stages to pocket a record $5.235 million in prize money. Her triumph also propels her to a career-high year-end ranking of world No. 5. The ace leader on tour this season, with 516 before the final, Rybakina added 13 more against Sabalenka to close the tournament with a stunning total of 48 aces.

Remarkably, Rybakina was the last player to qualify for the elite eight-woman field, sealing her place after lifting the WTA 500 title in Ningbo and reaching the semifinals in Tokyo. Her win in Riyadh extended her winning streak to 11 matches, and she improved her head-to-head record against Sabalenka to 6–8 in what has become one of the WTA’s fiercest rivalries.

The pair’s 14th career meeting lived up to its billing as a clash of power hitters. Both players came out firing, exchanging heavy baseline blows, but it was Rybakina’s defensive resilience that earned the first break in the sixth game. A well-placed lob forced Sabalenka into an overhead error, giving Rybakina the edge she needed to take the first set in 44 minutes.

In the second set, Rybakina was near-flawless on serve, conceding just two points across her first four service games. Sabalenka faced pressure throughout but dug deep to save four break points, even carving out two set points at 5-4. Rybakina, however, refused to buckle, holding firm to force a tiebreak — which she dominated 7-0 to clinch the victory after one hour and 47 minutes.

Rybakina finished the contest with 36 winners to 22 unforced errors, sealing one of the biggest wins of her career. Despite the defeat, Sabalenka reached a milestone of her own, setting a new WTA record for most prize money earned in a single season with $15,008,519, surpassing the mark set by Serena Williams in 2013.

Rybakina Stuns Sabalenka to Capture WTA Finals Crown in Riyadh

ADD A COMMENT :

Hot Topics