Elena Rybakina upsets world number 1 Aryna Sabalenka to claim WTA finals title

New Delhi:

Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina scripted history after she defeated world number 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the WTA finals. Rybakina claimed the biggest payday in women’s tennis history as the Kazakh international registered a straight-sets victory. 

The two stars locked horns in Saudi Arabia, and Rybakina defeated Sabalenka by 6-3, 7-6 (7-0). The two stars came through the competition undefeated, and the prize money on offer was a whopping Rs. 46.4 crore, which is the largest payout in women’s tennis history. 

Notably, the prize money also exceeds the amount that Aryna Sabalenka won for winning the 2025 US Open title. Taking on Sabalenka as the world number six, Rybakina hit 16 winners during a dominant first-set display, and her exceptional win against Sabalenka sees her move up to world number five as well. 

Rybakina opens up on her victory

After the brilliant win, Rybakina took centre stage and talked about her performance. She congratulated Sabalenka for maintaining her rank as the world number one and spoke up on how delighted she was to grab the win against the best in the business. 

"It's been an incredible week. I honestly didn't expect any result so to go so far was just incredible. I want to say congratulations to Aryna for being number one for a second year in a row, it's an incredible achievement,” Rybakina was quoted as saying by BBC. 

Furthermore, Sabalenka was moved to tears after losing the game. Visibly distraught, she sat with her team after losing the game and went on to congratulate her opponent after she grabbed the win. 

"It was not the best performance from me today, but Elena you were definitely the better player. You literally smashed me out of the court. I'm happy to see you play your best tennis. Enjoy this beautiful trophy,” Sabalenka said. 

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