Elena Rybakina Defeats Sabalenka to Claim Historic £4m Prize
Elena Rybakina secured her forty-fifth hard-court victory of 2025
Rybakina won the greatest prize in women's tennis history by beating top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets at the WTA Finals.
The 26-year-old produced a impressive performance to overcome four-time Grand Slam winner Sabalenka in two sets in the host country.
Because each competitor advanced through the event without a loss, the purse on offer was a record-breaking £3.98m – the largest prize offering in women's tennis history.
The prize money exceeds the £3.74m the Belarusian won for winning the US Open, which was the highest-paying Grand Slam in 2025.
"This has been an fantastic week," commented the Kazakh player.
"I honestly couldn't have predicted this outcome so to win the title was just incredible."
"I want to say praise to Aryna for holding the top spot for a second year in a row, it's an incredible achievement."
Rybakina, who was the sixth-ranked player, delivered 16 winners during a commanding opening set display.
The 2022 Wimbledon winner fended off a couple of break points before taking all four points in the sixth game to go a break up and served out to secure the first set.
As the second set progressed, Sabalenka defended another two opportunities at four-all to shift the balance in her favor.
But, after fighting back to disrupt her opponent's flow, Sabalenka let her opponent off the hook by wasting a pair of chances in the following game to tie the second set at five-all.
Sabalenka's failure to force a decider impacted her tie-break play, with the Kazakh winning every point to take home the championship.
The victory, Rybakina's sixth over Sabalenka, means she will move up one place in the WTA rankings to fifth in the world rankings.
An emotional the runner-up was seen crying as she sat with her 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 addressed the audience.
"You really smashed me on court. I'm pleased to see you at your peak. Enjoy this stunning trophy."
