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- Rybakina triumphs and Sabalenka ‘proud’ as Riyadh catches tennis fever
RIYADH: One of the most exciting WTA Finals in recent years wrapped up in Riyadh on Saturday with Elena Rybakina crowned champion at the event for the first time, pocketing a record $5.235 million in the process — the largest payout in women’s sports history.
Here are some of the biggest takeaways from the second staging of a three-year residency for the WTA Finals in the Saudi capital.
Rybakina sends a warning
Rybakina had an up and down season that included a six-month stint without her suspended coach and was the last of the eight singles players to qualify for the WTA Finals, yet somehow she found a way to salvage her year by winning her biggest title since Wimbledon in 2022.
The Kazakh played herself into form in the last four weeks of the season, going on an 11-match winning streak across three tournaments, including five consecutive top-10 victories in Riyadh.
Despite battling a shoulder issue all week, Rybakina produced 48 aces during the WTA Finals, 28 of which came in the semi-finals and final.
She was near-unplayable against world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the championship match — which she won 6-3, 7-6 (7-0) — and will have the rest of the field very worried at January’s Australian Open next season.
“Definitely we need to analyze and try to carry the good things for the next big moments,” said Rybakina, 26, who will rise to No. 5 in the world when the new rankings are released on Monday.
Sabalenka ends banner year on a losing note
Sabalenka has every reason to board that plane to the Maldives feeling proud of her 2025 campaign.
The Belarusian star secured the year-end No. 1 spot for a second consecutive season, she spent the entire year at the summit of the rankings with no interruptions, and reached nine finals and won four of them, including the US Open, her fourth Grand Slam crown.
She is also the only player this year to make the semi-finals or better at the five biggest tournaments on tour — Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, US Open, and the WTA Finals.
She claimed a tour-leading 63 match wins in 2025 — one ahead of second-placed Iga Swiatek — and is playing incredible tennis.
But one must wonder how she really feels about her final defeats at the Australian Open, Roland Garros, and the season-ending championships in Riyadh?
She was understandably in tears during the trophy ceremony while addressing her team but already looked in a better mood when she came to talk to the press half an hour later.
“Let’s make it quick, I want to go to the Maldives,” she joked at the start of her press conference, referring to her upcoming vacation.
“I’m leaving this tournament without any disappointment. I’m proud of myself and things that we’ve been able to achieve as a team.”
The level was off the charts
You would be hard-pressed to pick just one match as your favorite from this year’s WTA Finals.
The quality of tennis in most of the matches was incredibly high and the rivalries at the top of the women’s tour really came to the fore.
Seven of the 15 singles matches over the eight-day tournament went to three sets and the players really pushed each other to their limits, especially in the last four days of action.
“I felt like this year was so competitive,” said Jessica Pegula, who was competing in her fourth consecutive WTA Finals.
“I do feel like the level has been crazy, crazy deep this year. It feels a little bit harder than maybe past years.”
As comedian Kareem Rahma would say: “100 percent agree!”
Gauff ‘excited’ to put in the work
Coco Gauff’s title defence ended in the group stage after three tough matches.
She started her campaign by hitting 17 double faults in a three-set loss to Pegula before she got her serve back on track in the next two games.
With the help of her biomechanics coach Gavin MacMillan, whom she hired late in August, Gauff hopes to reemerge in Australia at the start of next season feeling more comfortable with her new serve.
“It felt like I had great tennis moments, a lot of ups and downs, but overall, a positive season, I think,” the reigning French Open champion said, assessing her year.
“I have a lot of time to work on my serve and hopefully be ready for Australia. I’m looking forward to some time away from the court. But really excited just to get back and get better.”
Anisimova impresses on debut
The only first-time participant in the field, Amanda Anisimova had a great WTA Finals debut, advancing through the group stage before falling to Sabalenka in three close sets in the semifinals.
The American world No. 4 has a lethal game and is able to bring it to the big stage more often than not.
She lost in the Wimbledon and US Open finals this year. The 24-year-old will no doubt do everything in her power to go one better next season.
Riyadh has caught tennis fever
In just the second year of hosting a professional women’s tennis tournament, the city of Riyadh has come to really embrace the WTA Finals.
The stadium capacity was extended this year to 4,000 seats and while it was not 100 percent full every day, the crowd was fully engaged with the action and the fan village was buzzing at all hours.
You can tell from the homemade posters and signs, and the reactions between points that it was a more knowledgeable crowd in the stands this year and the players could certainly sense that.
“It’s much better this year. I think last year, when I played my first match here, it wasn’t that crowded. And I think it was really crowded only when I played against (Zheng) Qinwen. This year, from the very first match, I saw the crowd there, and the support was amazing. So I’m super happy to see how tennis is growing here,” Sabalenka said.
The players got to interact with some of ֱ’s most promising young talents. A nine-year-old named Sama impressed Sabalenka when they had a quick hit together, while 20-year-old Bader Idrees became Pegula’s favorite hitting partner for the week.
From a media standpoint, many of the press huddles with the players were predominantly women, several of whom were locals — a fact that was not lost on Pegula.
“I think it’s cool to see. I think it shows the interest. I think it shows how they’re eager also to do their job and to talk to us about what we do. And I think all of that is super collaborative and great,” said the American world No. 5.
“And I think I’m sure they get more excited to maybe interview a woman and get that more perspective than maybe what they’re used to, but I think it’s really neat, and it’s something I have noticed. That and the ball kids, I think too. There’s a lot of girl ball girls and stuff like that. So that’s a cool little thing that I’ve noticed that hopefully keeps growing.”