Elena Rybakina Upsets Sabalenka to Secure Record £4 Million Payout
Elena Rybakina earned her forty-fifth hard court triumph of 2025
Elena Rybakina won the largest reward in WTA all time by defeating world number one Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets at the WTA Finals.
Rybakina produced a brilliant performance to defeat four-time Grand Slam winner Sabalenka 6-3 7-6 (7-0) in Saudi Arabia.
Because both players came through the event without a loss, the purse on offer was a unprecedented £3.98 million – the biggest payout awarded in WTA the sport's history.
This amount tops the £3.74m Sabalenka won for claiming September's New York major, which was the most lucrative major tournament in 2025.
"It's been an incredible week," commented the Kazakh player.
"I honestly didn't expect this outcome so to reach the final was just incredible."
"Let me offer praise to Sabalenka for holding the top spot for a second consecutive year in a row, it's an tremendous achievement."
Rybakina, who was the sixth-ranked player, hit 16 winners during a dominant opening set performance.
The 2022 Wimbledon winner saved a couple of break points before winning all four points in the sixth game of the set to take the break and held her serve to win the opening set.
With the second set on serve, the world number one defended another two break points at 4-4 to swing the momentum in her favour.
But, after fighting back to disrupt Rybakina's rhythm, the top seed failed to capitalize by wasting a pair of set points in the following game to level the set at 5-5.
Sabalenka's failure to level the match affected her tie-break performance, with the Kazakh winning all seven points to win the title.
This win, her sixth triumph over her rival, means Rybakina will move up one spot in the WTA rankings to number five in the world.
A distraught the runner-up was seen crying as she sat with her coaching team shortly after the final.
"That was not the best performance from me in this match but Elena you were certainly the superior player," the Belarusian told the audience.
"You really smashed me on court. I'm pleased to see you play your best tennis. Enjoy this stunning trophy."
