Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina defeated world number one Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets to win the 2024 WTA Finals in Riyadh, claiming her biggest title since Wimbledon 2022.
Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina captured her first WTA Finals crown and her biggest title since Wimbledon 2022 by defeating world number one Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 7-6(7/0) in Riyadh on Saturday.
The world number six delivered a dominant performance, becoming the first Kazakh and first Asian representative to lift the WTA Finals singles trophy. Having gone unbeaten in the round-robin stage, Rybakina earned a record $5.235 million in prize money and will end the year ranked world number five.
Rybakina, who leads the tour in aces with 516 this season, struck 13 against Sabalenka and finished the week with a total of 48 in Riyadh. The Kazakh extended her winning streak to 11 matches and improved her head-to-head record against Sabalenka to 6-8.
“It was a very tough match, but I’m proud of how I stayed focused,” Rybakina said after the win. Despite her loss, Sabalenka set a new WTA record for the highest single-season earnings with $15,008,519, surpassing Serena Williams’ 2013 record of $12,385,572.