Elena Rybakina Upsets Aryna Sabalenka to Claim Record £4 Million Prize
Rybakina secured her forty-fifth hard-court triumph of 2025
Rybakina won the biggest payday in women's tennis all time by overcoming world number one Sabalenka in two sets at the championship.
Rybakina delivered a impressive display to overcome four-times major champion her opponent in two sets in Saudi Arabia.
Since both players came through the competition undefeated, the purse on the table was a record-breaking almost £4 million – the largest payout offering in WTA the sport's history.
This amount surpasses the £3.74m the Belarusian earned for winning the New York major, which was the most lucrative major tournament in the current year.
"This has been an fantastic week," said Rybakina.
"Truly couldn't have predicted any result so to win the title was just remarkable."
"I want to say congratulations to Aryna for being number one for a second year running, it's an outstanding accomplishment."
The champion, who was the sixth-ranked player, delivered sixteen winning shots during a impressive first-set display.
The 2022 Wimbledon winner fended off two break points before taking all four points in the sixth game to take the break and held her serve to secure the opening set.
With the second set on serve, Sabalenka saved another two opportunities at four-all to shift the balance in her favor.
But, having worked so hard to upset Rybakina's rhythm, the top seed let her opponent off the hook by wasting two set points in the following game to tie the set at five-all.
Her inability to level the match impacted her tiebreak play, with the Kazakh taking all seven points to win the title.
The victory, Rybakina's sixth over Sabalenka, means Rybakina will rise one place in the WTA rankings to number five in the world.
An emotional Sabalenka appeared to be in tears as she sat with her team soon after the match.
"It was not the finest performance from me in this match but Elena you were definitely the superior competitor," the Belarusian addressed the crowd.
"You really smashed me out of the court. I'm pleased to see you play your best tennis. Enjoy this stunning title."
