Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — elena rybakina Won the WTA Finals by defeating the No. 1-ranked Arina Sabalenka 6-3, 7-6 (0) on Saturday.
Sixth-ranked Rybakina hit eight aces and converted the only break of the match on the indoor hard courts in Riyadh.
This was the second defeat in the final of a season-ending tournament for Sabalenka after the four-time Grand Slam winner lost to Caroline Garcia In the title match of 2022.
2022 Wimbledon champion Rybakina of Kazakhstan was playing her first title match in the WTA finals for the third consecutive time.
She raised $5.23 million after going 5-0 in the top-eight women’s event. The WTA said it was the largest payout in the history of the women’s game. Sabalenka, who entered the match with an 8–5 lead over her opponent, earned $2.7 million as the runner-up.
Rybakina took a break in the first set to take a 4-2 lead and Sabalenka saved four break points in the second set to go to a tiebreaker. The Belarusian entered the match with a 22-2 record in the tiebreaker this year, but was eliminated after hitting a backhand return too long on match point.
The 26-year-old Rybakina recorded her tour-best 45th hard-court win of the season. She became her tenth consecutive winner of the WTA Finals for the first time and would finish the year at a career-high No. 5 after a 58–19 record that included three titles.
Sabalenka will be ranked No. 1 for the second consecutive season. This year he won four titles including the US Open and won 63 matches. She also reached the finals of the French Open and Australian Open.
