Rybakina Ends Year With Unbeaten WTA Finals Crown, Defuses Sabalenka Viral Remark

Overview

• Elena Rybakina beat world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 7-6(0) to win the WTA Finals in Riyadh without losing a match, becoming the first player representing Kazakhstan to lift the trophy.
• A post‑match clip caught Sabalenka muttering a Russian idiom widely read as calling the result a fluke, but Rybakina told TengriNews she had good feelings toward Sabalenka and did not take it to heart.
• Her season-long serve numbers underscore the result, with a tour‑leading 516 aces, strong ace‑to‑double‑fault differential, and top marks for first‑serve and overall service points won.
• Sabalenka arrived as the top seed and unbeaten through the event, and the final marked Rybakina’s sixth win in their 14 meetings.
• Looking ahead, Rybakina withdrew from the December World Tennis League to train in Dubai, cites ongoing leg issues managed with rehab, and plans an exhibition in China before Brisbane and the Australian Open.