Elena Rybakina Stuns Sabalenka to Win Record £4 Million Payout
Elena Rybakina earned her 45th hard-court victory of 2025
Rybakina won the biggest payday in women's tennis history by defeating world number one Sabalenka in straight sets at the WTA Finals.
The 26-year-old produced a impressive performance to beat four-times Grand Slam winner her opponent in two sets in the host country.
Since each competitor advanced through the event without a loss, the prize money on the table was a unprecedented almost £4 million – the highest prize offering in WTA history.
This amount surpasses the £3.74 million the Belarusian received for winning September's New York major, which was the highest-paying major tournament in the current year.
"This has been an incredible tournament," commented the Kazakh player.
"Truly didn't expect any result so to reach the final was just incredible."
"Let me offer praise to Aryna for being number one for a second consecutive year in a row, it's an tremendous achievement."
Rybakina, who was the world number six, hit sixteen winners during a commanding opening set display.
The 2022 Wimbledon winner fended off a couple of break points before taking every point in the sixth game to go a break up and held her serve to secure the opening set.
With the second set on serve, Sabalenka defended another two opportunities at 4-4 to shift the balance in her favor.
But, after fighting back to disrupt her opponent's flow, Sabalenka let her opponent off the hook by squandering a pair of set points in the next game to tie the second set at 5-5.
Her inability to force a decider impacted her tiebreak play, with Rybakina winning all seven points to take home the championship.
The victory, her sixth triumph over her rival, means she will move up one spot in the WTA rankings to number five in the world rankings.
An emotional Sabalenka was seen crying as she met with her team soon after the final.
"It was not the finest performance from me today but Rybakina you were definitely the superior player," the Belarusian told the audience.
"You literally overpowered me on court. I'm pleased to see you at your peak. Celebrate this beautiful trophy."
