Once again the WTA crowned a new champion at the year-end WTA Finals tournament; this year, the title and the massive $5.3 million prize belongs to Elena Rybakina.
RYBAKINA RULES IN RIYADH 👑
She defeats Sabalenka to capture the WTA Finals title!#WTAFinalsRiyadh pic.twitter.com/xTwb428ZbC
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) November 8, 2025
Rybakina has had her share of ups and downs since winning Wimbledon in 2022. This year, she endured the suspension of her coach Stefano Vukov and worked with temporary coaches until he was reinstated.
Her game improved when the coaching issue was resolved, and she rode an 11 match winning streak through the Asian swing en route to grabbing the WTA Finals trophy.
Elena Rybakina Controlled The Match
Rybakina has not played Aryna Sabalenka in a major final since the 2023 Australian Open which was Sabalenka’s maiden Grand Slam.
In this match, Rybakina served at a high percentage, held her nerves, and used the forehand to nearly take the racquet out of Sabalenka’s hands, a practically unheard of accomplishment.
Sabalenka was emotional as the match progressed which is a trend fans have noticed in her big losses this year, at the Australian Open against Madison Keys and at the French Open against Coco Gauff, and the Wimbledon semifinals against Amanda Anisimova.
Aryna Sabalenka in tears after losing the final 🥺😭😭 pic.twitter.com/dTmhZUlCUq
— Liviefromparis 🇫🇷🤸🏼♀️🎾 (@Livieparis2024) November 8, 2025
She is the US Open champion and ends the year at World No. 1 for the second straight year, an impressive accomplishment acknowledged by Rybakina during the trophy presentation.
Women’s tennis ends the year with unique champions at each Grand Slam and the WTA Finals. The talented field is so deep that Rybakina barely qualified. It took a massive effort and winning streak through the Asian swing to put her there.
Prior to this fall, we had not seen the stamina and mental fortitude from her in stressful situations match after match.
The 11-month WTA season has now concluded, and every player will be vacationing, healing, and training in short order before the season opens again in late December.
