Elena Rybakina has now won six of her last eight matches against No. 1s with win over Sabalenka

Elena Rybakina may have already been eliminated from contention for qualifying for the semifinals, but she still finished on a high note at the WTA Finals on Wednesday night, taking out Aryna Sabalenka in their last round-robin match of the tournament, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1.

And though she had lost her first two round-robin matches of the week, against No. 4-ranked Jasmine Paolini and No. 7-ranked Zheng Qinwen, Rybakina's victory over the No. 1-ranked Sabalenka might not have been that much of a surprise, as she’s now won six of her last eight matches against reigning world No. 1s.

She lost her first two such matches against Ashleigh Barty, but since the start of the 2023 season she’s 6-2 against top-ranked players.

ELENA RYBAKINA VS WORLD NO. 1s (6-4):
l. to Barty in ’20 Australian Open 3rd Rd, 6-3, 6-2
l. to Barty in ’22 Adelaide F, 6-3, 6-2
d. Swiatek in ’23 Australian Open 4th Rd, 6-4, 6-4
d. Swiatek in ’23 Indian Wells SFs, 6-2, 6-2
d. Swiatek in ’23 Rome QFs, 2-6, 7-6 (3), 2-2 ret. (thigh injury)
d. Sabalenka in ’23 Beijing QFs, 7-5, 6-2
l. to Sabalenka in ’23 WTA Finals RR, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3
l. to Swiatek in ’24 Doha F, 7-6 (8), 6-2
d. Swiatek in ’24 Stuttgart SFs, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
d. Sabalenka in ’24 WTA Finals RR, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1

It looked like Sabalenka was on her way to a comeback victory on Wednesday as she won three games in a row from 6-4, 3-3 down to push the match to a third set, but after the two players traded holds for 1-all to start the decider, Rybakina took complete control, winning the last five games in a row to completely run away with it.

She even won 11 points in a row at one point, from the end of her 2-1 service game to midway through Sabalenka’s 1-4 service game.

Rybakina finished the match with a positive differential of winners to unforced errors, 23 to 20, while Sabalenka finished with 24 to 27.

“It was a tough match, and I’m really happy that I managed to win,” Rybakina said. “It’s nice to finish the year at least with a win over the No. 1. She has all the chances to win, also, so good luck to her.”

Rybakina was playing her first tournament since the US Open due to injury, but got better with each match—she lost to Paolini in straight sets, pushed Zheng to three sets, then finished with a win.

“Every match I played here was a little bit better. It’s not easy after such a break. But today I served really well. From both sides it was mistakes sometimes, but I think overall it was a good one from me.”