Rybakina Upsets Aryna Sabalenka to Claim Record £4 Million Prize
Elena Rybakina secured her forty-fifth hard court triumph of 2025
Rybakina claimed the greatest reward in women's tennis all time by defeating top-ranked Sabalenka in two sets at the WTA Finals.
Rybakina produced a stunning performance to overcome four-time Grand Slam winner her opponent in two sets in Saudi Arabia.
Since each competitor advanced through the tournament undefeated, the reward on the table was a record-breaking £3.98 million – the largest payout awarded in women's tennis the sport's history.
This amount exceeds the £3.74 million Sabalenka earned for winning September's New York major, which was the most lucrative Grand Slam in the current year.
"This has been an fantastic week," stated Rybakina.
"I honestly couldn't have predicted this outcome so to go so far was just incredible."
"I want to say praise to Aryna for being number one for a second consecutive year in a row, it's an incredible accomplishment."
The champion, who was the sixth-ranked player, delivered 16 winners during a dominant first-set performance.
Rybakina fended off two chances before winning every point in the sixth game to take the break and held her serve to seal the opening set.
As the second set progressed, Sabalenka saved another two opportunities at 4-4 to shift the balance in her favor.
However, after fighting back to disrupt her opponent's flow, the top seed failed to capitalize by squandering a pair of set points in the following game to tie the second set at five-all.
Sabalenka's failure to level the match affected her tiebreak play, with the Kazakh winning every point to claim the title.
The victory, Rybakina's sixth over Sabalenka, means Rybakina will rise one place in the rankings to number five in the world.
A distraught the runner-up appeared to be in tears as she met with her coaching team soon after the final.
"That was not the finest performance from me today but Rybakina you were certainly the better player," the Belarusian told the audience.
"You really smashed me out of the court. I'm pleased to see you at your peak. Enjoy this stunning title."
