Entering the WTA Finals Championship Game, Aryna Sabalenka knew Elena Rybakina would bring her best. But she, too, was not going to give up as easily on her first possible Billie Jean King trophy. The Saturday match in Riyadh, however, turned out quite different. With the No. 1 seed’s hopes all lost at the hands of the Kazakhistani, Sabalenka couldn’t do anything but tear up at the reality.

“ Today, especially, maybe… yeah, not the best performance, ” Sabalenka’s voice cracked after her 6-3, 7-6(0) defeat. “But you were definitely a better player today . You literally smashed me out of the court. Very well done. Happy to see you playing your best tennis, nice comeback at the end of the season. Now it’s time to enjoy our offseason and enjoy this beautiful trophy .”

With the straig

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