Anisimova shrugged off the double bagel and reached the US Open final, only to suffer more heartbreak, as Sabalenka proved too strong in a big-hitting battle to retain her title, taking her Grand Slam tally to four.

Sabalenka's hopes of finishing the season with another title were dashed when the world No 1 was comprehensively beaten in the WTA Finals decider, where Elena Rybakina pocketed $5.235 million after a flawless Riyadh campaign.

Larger prize pots were a major talking point through the season as the Professional Tennis Players' Association filed a lawsuit against the sport's stakeholders, while leading players wrote to the Grand Slams seeking a bigger slice of the pie.