On Saturday, Aryna Sabalenka battled fiercely but couldn’t break through Elena Rybakina’s unshakable serve, missing three break points in the first set and two consecutive set points at 5-4 in the second. What followed was heartbreak, as the 2022 Wimbledon champion stormed through the tie-break to seal a commanding 6-3, 7-6(6) win. And as the dust settled on her year-end heroics, even her peers, Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys, who fought beside her on the same stage, couldn’t help but stand in admiration.

The world No. 5’s spectacular finish to the season became a hot topic on The Players Box podcast, where Desirae Krawczyk, Madison Keys, Jessica Pegula, and Jennifer Brady couldn’t help but discuss Elena Rybakina’s dazzling dominance. Pegula set the tone of admiration, saying, “Someone ended their year very well. Rybakina won. She beat Aryna 6-3, 7-6 (0) in the (WTA) Finals.” Without hesitation, Keys chimed in, “She had an insane couple of weeks,” summing up what the entire tennis world had witnessed.

Pegula then turned statistician, breaking down the Kazakh’s ruthless precision. “She hit 13 aces and won 67 percent of her first serves. She was serving like a joke,” Pegula marveled. The numbers spoke for themselves. Elena Rybakina’s serve had turned into an unstoppable weapon, firing with a blend of grace and grit few could touch.

Keys added more context, highlighting the momentum Rybakina carried into Riyadh. “She won Ningbo, she semied Tokyo, and then just won the year-end,” she noted. Pegula, still awestruck, replied, “That’s not bad. And then she went undefeated. She won undefeated and she wins $5.3 million. Wow!” The staggering payout left the panel stunned, prompting Keys to playfully ask, “We are jealous?”

Indeed, Rybakina’s season was nothing short of remarkable. The Kazakh powerhouse capped her 2025 campaign with three major titles: Strasbourg, Ningbo, and the prestigious WTA Finals in Riyadh. Her season record stood at a commanding 59-19, securing her the world No. 5 ranking and a firm place among tennis’s most dominant forces.

At the WTA Finals, Elena Rybakina entered the Serena Williams Group with the quiet confidence of a champion in the making. She opened her campaign by dismantling Amanda Anisimova, then stunned World No. 1 Iga Swiatek, before dispatching Ekaterina Alexandrova to storm into the semifinals. Each match told the same story: unflinching focus, unreturnable serves, and a hunger that refused to dim.

Her semifinal clash against Jessica Pegula became a gritty battle of wills, with Rybakina clawing back to win 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. From there, she sealed perfection, defeating Aryna Sabalenka to claim her first WTA Finals crown. The win not only crowned her year but etched her name in the record books. The feat reverberated across the tennis world, drawing reactions from Pegula, Billie Jean King, and countless others. 

In a year of fierce rivalries and relentless competition, Elena Rybakina stood tallest, the queen of calm dominance, rewriting history one thunderous ace at a time.

Jessica Pegula and former WTA players react to Elena Rybakina’s record payout

Elena Rybakina’s triumph in Riyadh didn’t just add another prestigious title to her growing resume; it shattered financial records. The victory came with a staggering prize, marking the richest payout in WTA history. When asked about the record sum in her post-match press conference, the Kazakh star remained grounded. “Well it’s definitely a huge amount and honestly I didn’t think about any of that so much but of course it’s great and we definitely need to celebrate really well with the team, family and everyone,” she said with her signature calmness.

What made her triumph even more remarkable was that her payout surpassed that of the ongoing ATP Finals in Turin. There, the men’s champion will walk away with $5,071,000, a record in ATP history, yet still shy of what Rybakina earned in Riyadh. It was a statement moment for women’s tennis, one that rippled far beyond the court.

The historic payday didn’t go unnoticed. Several tennis icons, including Jessica Pegula, Billie Jean King, Garbiñe Muguruza, and Belinda Bencic, celebrated Elena Rybakina’s achievement on Instagram. Interestingly, Pegula also drew parallels to the $6 million winner’s payout at last month’s Six Kings Slam exhibition in Riyadh, noting how the Saudi capital is increasingly becoming a stage of financial and competitive equality for both men and women. The long-standing debate over pay disparity suddenly seemed less distant.

Grand Slams, of course, have long led the charge for equality. Thanks to Billie Jean King’s unyielding advocacy, the US Open became the first major to offer equal prize money in 1973, a legacy that continues to define the sport today. Rybakina’s record-setting win also turned into a milestone for Pegula herself, who earned $1,050,000 as a semifinalist. For women’s tennis, it was a season-ending crescendo, powerful, progressive, and deeply symbolic.

And as 2026 looms, all eyes will once again turn to the ice-cool Kazakh. With her poise, precision, and newfound aura of invincibility, Elena Rybakina seems destined to make the next season not just about victories, but about legacy.