Rybakina Defeats Aryna Sabalenka to Secure Record £4m Reward
Rybakina sealed her forty-fifth hard court victory of the year
Rybakina claimed the biggest payday in WTA history by beating top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets at the WTA Finals.
The 26-year-old delivered a brilliant performance to beat four-times major champion her opponent 6-3 7-6 (7-0) in the host country.
Since both players came through the competition without a loss, the reward on the table was a record-breaking £3.98 million – the biggest prize offering in women's tennis history.
The prize money tops the £3.74 million the Belarusian won for claiming September's US Open, which was the most lucrative major tournament in 2025.
"This has been an fantastic tournament," commented the Kazakh player.
"I honestly couldn't have predicted this outcome so to reach the final was just remarkable."
"I want to say congratulations to Aryna for being number one for a second consecutive year running, it's an incredible accomplishment."
The champion, who was the sixth-ranked player, hit 16 winners during a impressive first-set performance.
Rybakina saved a couple of chances before taking every point in the sixth game of the set to take the break and held her serve to win the first set.
With the second set on serve, the world number one defended another two opportunities at four-all to shift the balance in her favour.
However, after fighting back to disrupt Rybakina's rhythm, Sabalenka failed to capitalize by squandering two set points in the following game to level the set at five-all.
Sabalenka's failure to level the match affected her tie-break performance, with the Kazakh winning every point to claim the title.
The victory, her sixth triumph over Sabalenka, means she will rise one place in the rankings to fifth in the world.
An emotional Sabalenka appeared to be in tears as she sat with her coaching team shortly after the final.
"That was not the finest display from me in this match but Rybakina you were certainly the superior competitor," Sabalenka addressed the crowd.
"You literally smashed me out of the court. I'm pleased to see you at your peak. Celebrate this stunning trophy."
