RIYADH: Sixth-seeded Elena Rybakina pocketed a record US$5.235 million (RM22 million) by defeating world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the championship match of the WTA Finals on Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion from Kazakhstan, recorded 13 aces and extended her winning streak to 11 matches with a 6-3, 7-6 (0) victory.
Rybakina claimed the largest payout in women’s tennis history and her first trophy in the season-ending championships after dispatching the four-time Grand Slam winner in 1 hour, 47 minutes. She also became the first player representing an Asian country to win the event.
“I honestly didn’t expect any result, and to go so far, I mean, it’s just incredible,” Rybakina said.
“It was an amazing atmosphere to play here. I am enjoying it, second year in a row, and it’s really amazing to be here.”
Rybakina relied heavily on her serve, as she had all tournament. She registered 48 aces in Riyadh.
“Elena, yeah, you were definitely a better player today,” Sabalenka said.
“You literally smashed me out of the courts so very, very well done. Happy to see you playing your best tennis. Nice comeback at the end of the season.”
Rybakina improved to 2-2 in four meetings this year with Sabalenka, who received US$2.695 million for her second-place finish. Sabalenka, the U.S. Open champion from Belarus, will end the year at No. 1 for the second consecutive season.
Although she fell short Saturday, Sabalenka set a new WTA Tour record for most prize money in a single season. She made slightly over US$15 million to surpass the US$12,385,572 earned by Serena Williams in 2013.
Sabalenka, in fact, was the last player to defeat Rybakina, accomplishing the feat in the Wuhan quarter-finals four weeks ago.
The 27-year-old became emotional when talking to the crowd after the match, choking up while saying, “Maybe not the result we all wanted today… I guess I’m getting old. I’m getting really sensitive. So many things to be proud of.”
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
