Aryna Sabalenka emulated a negative personal record during a WTA Finals title match defeat as the 27-year-old Belarusian lost a tie-break without a single won point for the first time in her career.
On Saturday, Sabalenka struggled to make a breakthrough on Rybakina's serve after she missed out on three break points in the first set, as well as two consecutive set points on the Kazakh's serve in the 10th game of the second set. After failing to convert any of her two set points while leading 5-4 in the second set, the world No. 1 saw the second go into a tie-break - which the 2022 Wimbledon champion absolutely dominated to seal a 6-3 7-6 (6) victory.
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It was the first time that someone registered a 7-0 tie-break against Sabalenka. Prior to losing to Rybakina, the Belarusian tennis star made history by winning 22 tie breaks this year and setting a new record for the most tie-breaks won in a single year.
What was Rybakina's secret to dominating Sabalenka in their WTA Finals tie-break?
Sabalenka completed one of the craziest comebacks of her career in June when she miraculously saved four consecutive match points in a third-set tie-break to beat Rybakina in the Berlin quarterfinal 7-6 (6) 3-6 7-6 (6). When their Riyadh clash went to a tie-break, the Kazakh instantly remembered what happened in Berlin and absolutely wanted to avoid the same fate.
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"I remember earlier this year we played a third-set tiebreak in Berlin, where I was leading and had multiple match points - that one was really tough. This time, I just tried to focus on every single point without thinking ahead until I actually got to match point. Only then did I realize l'd won, because I was so focused in the moment. Looking back now, the first few points in that tiebreak were absolutely crucial," Rybakina explained after beating Sabalenka.
