Elena Rybakina had already secured a spot in the WTA Finals semifinals before taking the court Wednesday, but her final round-robin match still carried weight. Ranking points were on the line, along with the chance to preserve her perfect record in Riyadh.
Standing in her way: Ekaterina Alexandrova.
WTA Finals: Scores | Draws | Order of play
Despite entering the match with a losing record against Alexandrova, Rybakina continued her dominant run, winning 6-4, 6-4 in 1 hour and 14 minutes. The victory allowed her to finish with a perfect 3-0 mark in Serena Williams Group play.
“Every match I play, I want to win,” Rybakina said after the match. “Each win gives you confidence, so I’m really happy with that for now. The last few matches have been great and hopefully I can continue that.”
Rybakina had originally been scheduled to face Madison Keys, but tournament officials announced Keys had withdrawn hours before the match due to a viral illness.
“Really disappointed to not be feeling my best and ultimately having to withdraw from the tournament,” Keys said in a statement. “Huge accomplishment to make it this far and very proud of myself for doing that and having a great year. I hope to be back next year.”
Keys, the reigning Australian Open champion, went 0-2 in Riyadh, most recently falling in three sets to Amanda Anisimova. She had already been eliminated from semifinal contention.
The first alternate Mirra Andreeva declined to play, citing fitness concerns. That opened the door for second alternate Alexandrova to make her WTA Finals debut at age 30.
Still, the odds were stacked against Alexandrova. Rybakina had already acclimated to the conditions at King Saud University Indoor Arena and looked every bit a title contender through the early stages of the tournament.
Alexandrova arrived ready to play, winning the first six points and staying level with Rybakina through the first eight games. But Rybakina struck at the most opportune time, seizing her first break opportunity for a 5-4 lead before holding at love to close out the opening set in 35 minutes.
That break proved decisive, as Rybakina converted her lone chance while Alexandrova went 0-for-3.
In the second set, Alexandrova regrouped, holding serve to open with a 1-0 lead. But Rybakina broke twice to surge ahead 5-2. Serving for the match, she was broken for the first time, then faced two more break points while attempting to serve it out at 5-4.
Ultimately, a pair of aces — her seventh and eighth of the match — helped seal the win.
It was a strong effort from Alexandrova in her debut at the year-end championships, earning praise from her opponent.
“Ekaterina is always a tough opponent,” Rybakina said. “She has a big serve, and especially in the beginning it was difficult to return, so I’m pretty happy that I managed to win in two sets in the end.”
Rybakina finishes group play as the outright winner of the Serena Williams Group, dropping just one set en route to three consecutive top-10 victories.
Her latest win was her ninth over a Top 10 opponent in 2025, extending her career-high mark for a season. Since 1990, it’s the most in a season by any player representing an Asian country, surpassing Li Na’s eight in 2011 and 2013.