Elena Rybakina is officially back among the elite. The Kazakhstani star delivered one of the most complete and commanding performances of her career to win the 2025 WTA Finals in Riyadh, defeating world No. 2 Iga Swiatek and world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka on her way to the title. In the championship match, she overpowered Sabalenka 6-3, 7-6(0), completing a flawless run against five top-10 opponents.
For Rybakina, the season-ending triumph was more than just another trophy. It was a declaration. A statement that after months of inconsistency, struggles, and psychological battles, she has returned with the confidence and clarity that once made her one of the most feared players on tour. Her WTA Finals performance showed a level of conviction that had been missing through much of 2025.
During the season, Rybakina often looked far from elite. She exited early at Grand Slam events, dropped out of the top-10, and failed to win titles for long stretches. More concerning was the way she played: uncertain, visibly frustrated, and unsure of her tactical direction. Costly losses from match point up and from serving for the match chipped away at her confidence. She found herself stuck in a psychological loop—unable to win because she lacked confidence, and unable to gain confidence because she could not win.
Even her title in Strasbourg ahead of Roland Garros did not fully break that cycle. But as the season approached its close, Rybakina began to rebuild. Her victory at the WTA 500 in Ningbo marked the start of a resurgence. In Tokyo, she secured enough points to qualify for the WTA Finals, and that milestone appeared to restore a sense of purpose and belief.
Once in Riyadh, she looked unstoppable.
When Rybakina’s game is clicking, there is nothing quite like it on the WTA Tour—nothing as powerful, nothing as clean, and nothing as ruthlessly efficient.
Her serve is arguably the best in women’s tennis. In 2025, she fired more than 500 aces, and in the WTA Finals championship match she delivered unreturnable serves in nearly every game. More importantly, her serve is a weapon she can rely on under pressure—she saved two set points against Sabalenka in the second set with fearless, perfectly placed deliveries.
Her return game was just as devastating. Sabalenka repeatedly directed serves to Rybakina’s forehand, hoping to force errors, but on the tiebreak the strategy fell apart. Rybakina punished every short ball with deep, heavy, and unreadable returns that completely broke Sabalenka’s resistance.
From the baseline, Rybakina’s power was overwhelming. Neither Swiatek nor Sabalenka could handle her depth and pace when she went full throttle. She struck relentless, high-speed groundstrokes from any position on the court, taking time away from her opponents and leaving them with no margin.
But what made her WTA Finals run truly special was her composure under pressure. She lost the first set against both Swiatek and Pegula in earlier rounds—yet responded with superior tennis. In the final, she absorbed Sabalenka’s late surge, saved set points, and then produced a flawless tiebreak, winning it 7-0 through pure quality rather than opponent errors.
Rybakina’s victory marks a complete turnaround from the uncertainty and self-doubt that defined her mid-season struggles. With her revived confidence, elite-level serving, and improved mental resilience, she looks poised to reestablish herself as a major force heading into 2026.
As anticipation builds for next year’s Grand Slams—including the US Open 2026—Rybakina’s dominance in Riyadh positions her as one of the top contenders. If she maintains this level, the women’s field will once again face a player capable not just of competing with the very best, but of overpowering them outright.
