Elena Rybakina Stuns Aryna Sabalenka to Claim Record £4m Payout
Rybakina secured her forty-fifth hard-court triumph of the year
Rybakina won the largest prize in WTA history by beating world number one Sabalenka in straight sets at the WTA Finals.
The 26-year-old delivered a impressive performance to beat four-times Grand Slam champion her opponent in two sets in the host country.
Since both players came through the tournament undefeated, the purse on the table was a record-breaking £3.98 million – the biggest payout offering in WTA history.
This amount surpasses the £3.74m Sabalenka won for claiming September's US Open, which was the highest-paying Grand Slam in 2025.
"This has been an incredible week," stated Rybakina.
"Truly couldn't have predicted this outcome so to go so far was just incredible."
"I want to say congratulations to Aryna for being number one for a second year in a row, it's an incredible accomplishment."
The champion, who was the world number six, hit sixteen winning shots during a commanding opening set display.
The 2022 Wimbledon winner fended off two chances before winning all four points in the sixth game of the set to take the break and served out to seal the opening set.
With the second set on serve, the world number one defended two break points at four-all to swing the momentum in her favor.
However, having worked so hard to disrupt Rybakina's rhythm, Sabalenka failed to capitalize by wasting a pair of set points in the following game to level the second set at 5-5.
Sabalenka's failure to force a decider impacted her tie-break performance, with Rybakina winning every point to win the title.
The victory, Rybakina's sixth over her rival, means Rybakina will move up one place in the WTA rankings to number five in the world rankings.
An emotional the runner-up appeared to be in tears as she sat with her coaching team soon after the match.
"That was not the best display from me in this match but Rybakina you were definitely the superior player," the Belarusian told the crowd.
"You literally overpowered me on court. I'm pleased to see you play your best tennis. Celebrate this stunning title."
