Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina captured the 2025 WTA Finals title on Saturday, defeating world number one Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 7-6 (7-0) in Riyadh.
The victory marks Rybakina’s biggest triumph since winning Wimbledon in 2022, making her the first Kazakh and the first player representing an Asian country to lift the prestigious year-end singles trophy.
Ranked sixth in the world, Rybakina maintained her dominant form throughout the tournament, going unbeaten in the round-robin stage and extending her winning streak to 11 matches. She earned a record $5.235 million in prize money and will end the season ranked world number five.
Rybakina, who led the WTA Tour in aces this season with 516, added 13 more against Sabalenka to finish the week with a total of 48.
Both players showcased powerful baseline play in a tightly contested final, but Rybakina’s solid defense and composure under pressure proved decisive. After breaking Sabalenka once to take the first set, the Kazakh saved two set points in the second before dominating the tiebreak to seal victory in one hour and 47 minutes.
Despite the loss, Sabalenka set a new record for the most prize money earned in a single WTA season, surpassing Serena Williams’ 2013 mark with total earnings of $15,008,519.
