Elena Rybakina Stuns Aryna Sabalenka to Claim Historic £4m Payout
Rybakina secured her 45th hard court triumph of 2025
Elena Rybakina won the biggest reward in women's tennis all time by beating world number one Aryna Sabalenka in two sets at the WTA Finals.
The 26-year-old delivered a impressive performance to overcome four-times major winner Sabalenka in two sets in the host country.
Because both players came through the tournament undefeated, the purse on offer was a unprecedented £3.98m – the biggest prize awarded in women's tennis the sport's history.
The reward exceeds the £3.74 million Sabalenka earned for claiming the New York major, which was the highest-paying Grand Slam in 2025.
"It's been an fantastic tournament," commented the Kazakh player.
"Truly didn't expect this outcome so to win the title was just remarkable."
"I want to say praise to Sabalenka for holding the top spot for a second year running, it's an incredible accomplishment."
The champion, who was the world number six, hit 16 winners during a dominant first-set performance.
Rybakina fended off two break points before winning all four points in the sixth game of the set to go a break up and held her serve to secure the opening set.
With the second set on serve, the world number one defended another two break points at four-all to swing the momentum in her favour.
But, after fighting back to disrupt her opponent's flow, Sabalenka failed to capitalize by squandering a pair of chances in the next game to tie the second set at 5-5.
Her inability to force a decider impacted her tiebreak performance, with the Kazakh taking all seven points to claim the title.
The victory, Rybakina's sixth over her rival, means Rybakina will rise one spot in the WTA rankings to number five in the world.
A distraught the runner-up appeared to be in tears as she met with her coaching team shortly after the match.
"It was not the finest display from me in this match but Elena you were certainly the superior player," Sabalenka addressed the audience.
"You really smashed me on court. I'm pleased to see you play your best tennis. Celebrate this stunning title."
