Elena Rybakina Upsets Aryna Sabalenka to Secure Historic £4 Million Reward
Rybakina earned her 45th hard-court win of 2025
Rybakina secured the biggest reward in women's tennis history by overcoming world number one Aryna Sabalenka in two sets at the WTA Finals.
Rybakina delivered a impressive display to beat four-times Grand Slam winner Sabalenka in two sets in Saudi Arabia.
Since each competitor advanced through the competition undefeated, the prize money on the table was a record-breaking £3.98m – the largest prize offering in WTA the sport's history.
This amount tops the £3.74m the Belarusian earned for claiming the New York major, which was the most lucrative Grand Slam in 2025.
"This has been an fantastic week," commented Rybakina.
"I honestly couldn't have predicted any result so to reach the final was just remarkable."
"I want to say praise to Sabalenka for being number one for a second year running, it's an incredible accomplishment."
The champion, who was the world number six, delivered sixteen winning shots during a commanding first-set performance.
The 2022 Wimbledon winner saved two chances before winning every point in the sixth game of the set to take the break and held her serve to seal the first set.
As the second set progressed, Sabalenka defended two break points at four-all to shift the balance in her favor.
But, having worked so hard to upset Rybakina's rhythm, Sabalenka failed to capitalize by squandering a pair of set points in the following game to tie the set at five-all.
Sabalenka's failure to force a decider impacted her tiebreak play, with Rybakina winning all seven points to claim the championship.
This win, Rybakina's sixth over her rival, means Rybakina will rise one spot in the rankings to number five in the world rankings.
A distraught the runner-up was seen crying as she met with her coaching team shortly after the match.
"That was not the finest performance from me in this match but Rybakina you were certainly the better competitor," the Belarusian addressed the crowd.
"You really smashed me on court. I'm pleased to see you at your peak. Celebrate this beautiful trophy."
