Aryna Sabalenka v Elena Rybakina result – Sixth seed stuns world No. 1 in straight sets to secure 2025 WTA Finals title

Elena Rybakina completed a stunning late flourish to 2025 as she shocked world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka to win the WTA Finals.

The Kazakhstani claimed just her third title of the season with a 6-3 7-6(0) triumph over the reigning US Open champion in one hour and 48 minutes.

Speaking on court following her victory, Rybakina said: "It’s been an incredible week. I honestly didn’t expect any result, and to go so far, I mean, it’s just incredible.

"I want to congratulate Aryna, being [world] No.1 for a second year in a row is an amazing achievement.

"Today was such a tough battle. Some moments I got lucky but again it’s tennis and I just hope we are going to play many more finals in big tournaments together."

Both players came into the final with perfect 4-0 records and it showed in a high-class, 45-minute opener.

Rybakina saved two break points in the fifth game and it proved key as the sixth seed broke to love to lead 4-2 when Sabalenka dragged a smash into the net.   

Rybakina’s serve continued to purr as she served out the first set despite the late efforts of her opponent, demonstrating just why she has a tour-leading tally of over 500 aces for the calendar year.

Sabalenka, who was targeting a 40th hardcourt win of 2025, responded and saved two break points in the third and ninth games of the second set.

The Belarusian then blew two set points on the return at 5-4 and Rybakina escaped to force a tie-break.

Rybakina took charge from there to clinch the breaker by an emphatic 7-0 scoreline and with it secured the title to go along with her WTA 500 triumphs in Strasbourg and Ningbo.

Rybakina is the 2025 WTA Finals champion.

Sabalenka can't deny her as the Kazakhstani makes it 5/5 for the week as she clinches the breaker 7-0 and her biggest title of the year.

Aryna loses her second final here and must wait to add this piece of silverware to her winning collection.

Since the event’s inauguration in 1972, Elena Rybakina has become the first player representing Kazakhstan and an Asian country overall to win the WTA Finals.

Since the rankings were first published in 1975, Elena Rybakina is now just the 2nd player to defeat the WTA #1 in back-to-back editions of the WTA Finals after Tracy Austin, who defeated Evert & Navratilova (1979-80).

Rybakina is the first player to defeat both Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek at multiple WTA-level events, after previously achieving the feat en route to the title at Indian Wells in 2023.

Winning the second-set tiebreak, Elena Rybakina has claimed a tiebreak to love for just the second time in her career at WTA level, after also winning 6-4 7-6(0) against Elina Avanesyan in Rome (R64) in 2022.

It’s surely Elena’s title from here.

Sabalenka coughs up an instant mini break and when Rybakina lands two huge serves, the errors come as panic sets in for the world number one.

An ace down the tee leaves the sixth seed with multiple championship points at the change of ends.

Rybakina has a real poker-face on court but a nervy volley that flies long for 15-15 betrays some inner butterflies.

The sixth seed quickly resets with a timely pair of aces and a beastly forehand down the line takes us into a tie-break.

It’s a blink and you’ll miss it love hold from the top seed and it feels like she has shifted some momentum her way at the business end of this set.

Can Rybakina dig deep, force a breaker and keep alive her hopes of winning this in two?

The scoreboard pressure almost tells!

Rybakina opens with a double fault and all of a sudden she doesn’t have the same air of invincibility on serve.

Sabalenka lands a blow with a sizzling, low return and when Rybakina drags wide she gifts the world number one two set points.

A fortunate net cord lands in at the baseline and forces the error from a fuming Sabalenka and she nets again on the second to allow Elena to make deuce.

The Kazakhstani can’t buy a first serve but somehow survives to level at five apiece when Aryna clatters a forecourt forehand into the net.

Rybakina surges to the forecourt to feather away a delightful crosscourt, pick-up winner.

Sabalenka rushes a forehand long to feel more heat and then drags a backhand wide to offer up two break points.

The Belarusian hits clutch mode with two massive serves to make deuce where Rybakina continues to probe for that elusive break in Set 2.

It does not transpire as Sabalenka slams down two more huge serves to survive and leave Elena needing to hold to stay in the set.

Rybakina refuses to blink here.

More heavyweight serving and a lightning bolt of a crosscourt backhand winner take her through another routine game to 15.

Rybakina refines a leaky return game to race back from 40-15 down and turn the screw at deuce.

Another disappointing return lets Sabalenka off the hook and the Belarusian fired away a crushing plus-one forehand to apply the scoreboard pressure.  

Rybakina slams down her ninth ace of the final and follows up a clinical plus-one forehand with a rasping crosscourt winner off that flank to once again achieve parity for the loss of one point.

Rybakina briefly threatens again with a routine forecourt winner after another ferocious crosscourt return off the backhand.

Sabalenka responds with a clutch serve to take charge at 40-30 and then marches to his chair when her opponent zaps a make-able forehand into the net.

It’s another devastatingly good service game from the sixth seed.

A succession of massive serves ease her level courtesy of a rapid love hold.

It's early days, but she is yet to drop a point on serve in this second set.

Sabalenka rolls her eyes and goes through her trademark baseline drama routine when things aren’t going her way.

She gestures to her team in frustration as Rybakina’s immaculate defence finds unerring depth and forces errors, leading two break points.

Alarm bells blare for the world number one but she finds a clutch serve to stave off the first and then breathes a sigh of relief when Elena snatches a second serve return into the net.

The Belarusian continues to fire on serve at deuce and if she goes on to win this final, that may well be a moment she looks back on as being significant.

Too good.

Rybakina brings her A-game on serve, landing a succession of powerhouse deliveries and finishing a rapid, clean hold with successive aces.

The 1-2 punch does the job as Sabalenka returns from a comfort break between sets to dig out the hold to 30.

Sabalenka lets out one of those borderline unsporting, prolonged screams through the shot as she thunders away a crosscourt forehand to threaten at 15-30.

Rybakina responds with a plus-one forehand and is then delighted to see the world number one sinking to her knees when she drills a backhand a whisker wide.

It proves to be fatal in terms of the set as Rybakina lands a timely first serve to seal the opener in 45 minutes.

Rybakina is oozing confidence right now.

The sixth seed sizzles a belting backhand winner on the run down the line and then drills a crosscourt return off that same flank to threaten again at 0-30.

Sabalenka retorts with hefty serving, sandwiching a stonking ace down the T between two other massive deliveries to turn the game her way.

Rybakina comes flying back to make deuce with a careful forehand from the forecourt after another howitzer of a return had set up the finish.

Aryna leans on her serve to wrestle the momentum back her way but Elena pulls off a steal off a 1-2 punch with a clinical crosscourt pass.

The top seed refuses to budge, however, and guns a scorcher of a forehand before finally coming through with a hefty serve down the T.

That’s a super response from the world number one.

Rybakina lures her into the forecourt but is undone by a lovely, angled backhand to the open court from the Belarusian and it paves a path to two break back points.

Rybakina swats one away with raw power and then zaps a brilliant crosscourt forehand winner to end a pulsating baseline exchange in style.

The Kazakhstani then produces a clever slice approach to rush the pass attempt into the net and completes the recovery to consolidate when Aryan jabs a backhand well wide.

Rybakina continues to produce easy power and after bombarding the Sabalenka defences, she corks a forehand winner to open.

Aryna leaks a forehand long and looks rattled as she goes on to cough up triple break point.

The top seed seems set to fend off one of them, but snatches at a desperate defensive lob from her opponent and burrows her smash into the net.

Rybakina gives herself work to do with a skewed backhand long but recovers to Pulp (30-30) with a stunning stretch volley to cut off Sabalenka’s intelligent crosscourt attempt at the pass.

The world number one comes again and rakes a magnificent crosscourt forehand to earn a break point but Elena retorts with a devastating strike of her own off that same wing to reach the sanctuary of deuce.

The sixth seed clouts down a wide second serve ace and then follows with one off the first serve to keep her nose in front.