Kazakhstan’s President Bestows Honor Upon Elena Rybakina for Popularizing Tennis in Country After Historic WTA Finals Win
Elena Rybakina clinched her third title of the season by defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the WTA Finals.
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Elena Rybakina (Image via X/The Tennis Letter)
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Elena Rybakina scripted history on Saturday (October 8). In the final of the WTA Finals, she denied Aryna Sabalenka her first title in the event, with a straight-set win, becoming not only the first Kazakh but the first Asian to win the title.
Rybakina, for sure, has played a great role in popularizing tennis in Kazakhstan. Because of her achievement, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev will be awarding her the Order of ‘Barys’ of the 3rd degree.
You have demonstrated the highest level of mastery and an unbreakable will to win at a prestigious tournament that essentially sums up the tennis year. I extend to you my sincere gratitude and heartfelt congratulations on this magnificent achievement, which will go down in the history of Kazakhstan and world tennis.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said (H/T: Kazinform)
The win helped Rybakina improve her head-to-head record to 6-8 over Sabalenka, who, before this season, had lost the championship clash of the 2022 WTA Finals to Caroline Garcia. Rybakina had never played the semifinals of the event before this season.
On the occasion of this sporting triumph, and in recognition of your significant contribution to the development and popularization of tennis in our country, I have signed a decree awarding you the Order of ‘Barys’ of the 3rd degree. I wish you well-being, good health, and new sporting victories for the benefit of the Republic of Kazakhstan!
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev added
Rybakina will be officially the World No.5 player on Monday, while Sabalenka has ended the season as a World No.1 player for the second consecutive time. It was the 26-year-old’s third title of the season, following the Strasbourg Open and the Ningbo Open.
Rybakina, in fact, was the eighth player to qualify for the season-ending event. For Sabalenka, it was her fourth defeat in the final of an important event this season, following the Australian Open, Indian Wells, and the French Open.
Elena Rybakina on winning the second tie-break
Aryna Sabalenka won a record 22 tie-breaks this season, but against Elena Rybakina in the summit clash of the WTA Finals, she failed to win a single point in the second set tie-break, and this happened for the first time in her career.
I remember when the tiebreak started, that once this year I played against her in the third set [in Berlin], and I was up and had so many match points because it was a tiebreak. It was such a match, and this time, I was just going point by point. Until the moment of the match point, I didn’t want to think about it. And then I realized that I won — because I was so focused.
Elena Rybakina told WTA
Rybakina ended the season with 516 aces, the most on the WTA Tour. In the WTA Finals, she hit a total of 48 aces, including 13 against the Belarusian. Since the 2022 Wimbledon champion remained undefeated, she earned a record $5,235,000 in prize money.
En route to beating Sabalenka, Rybakina defeated Amanda Anisimova, Iga Swiatek, and Ekaterina Alexandrova in the round-robin stage before knocking out Jessica Pegula in the semifinals. Prior to this event, Sabalenka was the player with the most prize money won in a single tournament, $5 million.
Sabalenka has ended the season with four titles. She kick-started the season by winning the Brisbane International, then lost the Australian Open and Indian Wells finals, before winning the Miami Open, her first Sunshine Doubles singles title. After losing the Stuttgart Open final, Sabalenka took home the Madrid Open, lost the French Open, and later defended the US Open.
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