Overview
- Rybakina defeated world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 7-6 (7-0) in Riyadh to complete a 5-0 week and capture her first WTA Finals crown.
- The undefeated run delivered a record $5.235 million payday and the event’s maximum 1,500 ranking points, lifting her to world No. 5.
- During the trophy ceremony she declined to stand next to WTA chief executive Portia Archer for a customary photo, later noting missed opportunities for dialogue.
- The backdrop is the WTA’s earlier code-of-conduct suspension of Rybakina’s coach Stefano Vukov, which was overturned on appeal in August after she publicly defended him.
- Commentators including Pam Shriver criticized the snub, while Sabalenka ends the season as the year-end No. 1.