RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Elena Rybakina defeated No. 1 ranked Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 7-6 (0) to win the WTA Finals on Saturday.
Rybakina, ranked No. 6, made eight aces on Riyadh’s indoor hard courts and earned the only break of the match.
“It’s been an incredible week,” Rybakina said of her quest for the title, which included wins over second seeds Iga Swiatek, Amanda Anisimova and Jessica Pegula. “Honestly, I wasn’t expecting the result, but it’s just incredible that I’ve made it this far.”
It was Sabalenka’s second loss in the final of the final tournament of the season, after the Grand Slam champion lost to Caroline Garcia in the 2022 title match.
Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion from Kazakhstan, was playing her first title match in her third consecutive WTA Finals appearance.
She went 5-0 in the top-eight women’s event and raised $5.23 million. According to the WTA, this is the highest amount in women’s sports history. Sabalenka entered the match with an 8-5 lead over her opponent and won $2.7 million as the runner-up.
Rybakina broke in the first set to take a 4-2 lead, before Sabalenka saved four break points in the second set to force a tiebreak. The Belarusian entered this year’s tiebreak with a record of 22 wins and 2 losses, but lost the match in a shutout after hitting a long backhand return on match point.
Rybakina, 26, recorded her tour-best 45th win on hard courts this season. She became the first woman to win the WTA Finals for the 10th consecutive year and finished the year in fifth place, a career-high, with a record of 58 wins and 19 losses, including three titles.
Sabalenka will be ranked number one for the second consecutive season. This year, he won four titles, including the US Open, and achieved 63 wins. She also reached the finals of the French Open and the Australian Open.
“She played great,” Sabalenka said of Rybakina. “I feel like I did my best today. Even though it didn’t work out, I think there’s a lot to be proud of. And yeah, I’m leaving this tournament with no disappointments.”