The sixth Rybakina hit eight aces and converted the only break of the match on the indoor hard court in Riyadh.
It was a second defeat in the final of the season-ending tournament for Sabalenka, after the four-time Grand Slam winner lost to Caroline Garcia in the 2022 title match.
Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion from Kazakhstan, played her first title match in her third consecutive WTA Finals appearance.
She collected $5.23 million after going 5-0 in the event featuring the top eight women. According to the WTA, this was the largest payout in the history of women’s sports. Sabalenka, who entered the match with an 8-5 head-to-head advantage over her opponent, earned $2.7 million as runner-up.
Rybakina broke for a 4-2 lead in the first set, and Sabalenka saved four break points in the second to force the tiebreak. The Belarusian player came into this year’s match with a record of 22-2 in tiebreaks, but was eliminated in this match, hitting a backhand return long on match point.
The 26-year-old Rybakina recorded her best 45th hard court victory of the season on the tour. She became the 10th consecutive winner of the WTA Finals and will end the year at career No. 5, following a 58-19 record with three titles.
Sabalenka finishes at No. 1 for the second season in a row. This year she won four titles, including the US Open, and has 63 match victories. She also reached the finals of the French Open and Australian Open.
#Rybakina #sinks #Sabalenka #WTA #title #million