RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan capped a flawless week at the WTA Finals by stunning world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus 6-3 7-6(0) in the final for her first trophy in the season-ending championships and a record $5.235 million in prize money.
In a rematch of the 2023 Australian Open title clash won by Sabalenka, it was Rybakina who made early inroads with a barrage of powerful winners to shrug off concerns over a sore shoulder and break for a 4-2 lead in the opening set.
“I was just trying to be solid from the beginning to the end,” Rybakina said according to Reuters. “Honestly, Aryna is very difficult to play when she gets a good day of good serving. It’s not easy at all.
“I was just trying to stay strong and fight for each ball. I’m happy that it went my way. I don’t know how I would feel if we needed to play a third set. Honestly, physically I gave it all, mentally also, to stay so focused.
“We both served so well in the end of the second set that I was like: What else is going to be happening?
“I’m very glad and proud for what I have achieved at the end of this season. Starting the season not so good and finishing like this, it’s amazing.”
The ice-cool world No 6 rallied from 15-40 down in the seventh game to tighten her hold and secure the set with more bold ball striking from both flanks, leaving 2022 finalist Sabalenka with a mountain to climb.
Rybakina, Wimbledon champion in 2022, ramped up the pressure in the next set as she lost only two points in four service games. She then showed her battling qualities for a clutch hold in the 10th game when Sabalenka crashed a forehand into the net.
The sixth-ranked Rybakina cranked up her massive serve two games later and forced a tiebreak, where the Kazakh grabbed the early lead and never looked back to secure the title.
With both finallists unbeaten in group play, Rybakina earned $5.235 million for the victory, while Sabalenka took home $2.695 million as runner-up. Even in defeat, Sabalenka’s total set a new WTA single-season prize-money record, surpassing Serena Williams’ 2013 mark.
Rybakina’s victory capped a three-title season that included Strasbourg and Ningbo and made her the 10th consecutive first-time WTA Finals champion.
She finished second on tour for titles behind only Sabalenka (four) and tied Iga Swiatek and Jessica Pegula with three.
Rybakina ended the year 58–19, her strongest to date. The win also narrowed her rivalry with Sabalenka to 8–6, with three of those victories now coming in finals — Indian Wells 2023, Brisbane 2024 and Riyadh 2025.
The opening set was a heavy-hitting tug-of-war, both players landing big first serves until Rybakina found her range midway through.
She broke Sabalenka at love to go up 4–2, sealing the game when the World No. 1 netted an overhead. Serving for the set at 5–3, Rybakina stayed composed and capitalized on two errors to close it out 6–3.
In the second, Sabalenka saved two break points in the third game and two more at 4–4 to stay even.
But her resistance faded in the tiebreak, a situation that had been her strength all year. Sabalenka came in with a 22–2 record in breakers, including a run of 19 straight that ended in Wuhan.
This time, though, she didn’t win a single point, as Rybakina ran away with it to seal the title in straight sets.
Sabalenka closes 2025 with four titles and 63 match-wins, including the US Open and two WTA 1000 trophies, and will end as the year-end No. 1 for a second straight season — one of only seven women to hold the top spot across consecutive calendar years.
She also finished with 15 Top 10 victories, the most of any player this season. Rybakina will finish at a career-high No. 5.
