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Elena Rybakina won the WTA Finals aft producing a astir flawless show to bushed No. 1-ranked Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 7-6 (0) connected Saturday (November 8, 2025).
The sixth-ranked Rybakina struck 8 aces and converted the sole interruption of the lucifer connected the indoor hardcourt successful Riyadh.
“It’s been an unthinkable week. I honestly didn’t expect immoderate effect and to spell truthful acold is conscionable incredible,” Rybakina said astir a rubric tally that included wins implicit No. 2-seeded Iga Swiatek, Amanda Anisimova and Jessica Pegula.
It was a 2nd nonaccomplishment successful the last of the season-ending tourney for Sabalenka aft the four-time Grand Slam victor mislaid to Caroline Garcia successful the 2022 rubric match.
Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, was playing her archetypal rubric lucifer successful her 3rd consecutive WTA Finals appearance.
She collected $5.23 cardinal aft going 5-0 astatine the lawsuit featuring the apical 8 women. The WTA said that was the largest payout successful the past of women’s sports. Sabalenka earned $2.7 cardinal arsenic runner-up.
Rybakina broke for a 4-2 pb successful the archetypal set, and Sabalenka past saved 4 interruption points successful the 2nd to unit the tiebreaker. The Belarusian entered the lucifer with a 22–2 grounds successful tiebreakers this year, but was unopen retired successful this 1 — hitting a backhand instrumentality agelong connected lucifer point.
Rybakina recorded her tour-best 45th hardcourt triumph of the season. The 26-year-old Kazakhstani became the 10th consecutive first-time victor of the WTA Finals. She volition decorativeness the twelvemonth astatine a career-high No. 5 successful the rankings aft a 58–19 grounds that included 3 titles.
Sabalenka volition decorativeness ranked No. 1 for a 2nd consecutive season. This year, she won 4 titles, including the U.S. Open, and had 63 lucifer wins. She besides reached the finals of the French Open and Australian Open.
“She played incredibly,” Sabalenka said astir Rybakina. “I consciousness similar I did my champion today. It didn’t work, but I deliberation truthful galore things I person to beryllium arrogant of. And yeah, I’m leaving this tourney without immoderate disappointment."
