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
More to come…
