Rybakina Defeats Aryna Sabalenka to Secure Record £4 Million Payout
Elena Rybakina sealed her 45th hard court win of 2025
Elena Rybakina claimed the largest prize in women's tennis all time by overcoming world number one Sabalenka in two sets at the WTA Finals.
The 26-year-old produced a stunning performance to defeat four-time Grand Slam winner Sabalenka in two sets in the host country.
Because each competitor came through the tournament undefeated, the purse on the table was a record-breaking £3.98 million – the biggest prize awarded in WTA the sport's history.
The prize money tops the £3.74m the Belarusian won for claiming September's US Open, which was the highest-paying Grand Slam in the current year.
"This has been an fantastic week," stated Rybakina.
"Truly couldn't have predicted any result so to win the title was just incredible."
"Let me offer congratulations to Sabalenka for holding the top spot for a second year in a row, it's an tremendous achievement."
The champion, who was the world number six, hit 16 winning shots during a dominant opening set performance.
Rybakina fended off a couple of break points before taking every point in the sixth game of the set to take the break and held her serve to secure the first set.
As the second set progressed, Sabalenka saved another two break points at four-all to shift the balance in her favor.
However, having worked so hard to upset her opponent's flow, Sabalenka failed to capitalize by squandering a pair of set points in the following game to tie the second set at 5-5.
Her inability to force a decider impacted her tiebreak play, with the Kazakh winning every point to claim the championship.
This win, her sixth triumph over her rival, means she will move up one place in the rankings to fifth in the world.
A distraught the runner-up was seen crying as she met with her coaching team soon after the final.
"It was not the best display from me in this match but Elena you were definitely the better competitor," Sabalenka addressed the crowd.
"You literally smashed me out of the court. I'm pleased to see you play your best tennis. Enjoy this beautiful trophy."
