Rybakina Defeats Aryna Sabalenka to Claim Historic £4 Million Reward
Rybakina sealed her forty-fifth hard-court triumph of 2025
Rybakina won the greatest prize in women's tennis history by beating world number one Sabalenka in straight sets at the WTA Finals.
Rybakina produced a stunning display to defeat four-times major champion her opponent 6-3 7-6 (7-0) in Saudi Arabia.
Because each competitor advanced through the competition without a loss, the prize money on the table was a historic almost £4 million – the biggest prize awarded in WTA history.
The reward tops the £3.74 million Sabalenka earned for claiming the New York major, which was the most lucrative Grand Slam in the current year.
"It's been an incredible week," said the Kazakh player.
"I honestly didn't expect any result so to reach the final was just unbelievable."
"I want to say congratulations to Aryna for holding the top spot for a second year in a row, it's an tremendous accomplishment."
Rybakina, who was the sixth-ranked player, delivered 16 winning shots during a dominant opening set display.
The 2022 Wimbledon winner fended off two break points before winning all four points in the sixth game of the set to take the break and served out to secure the first set.
As the second set progressed, the world number one saved two opportunities at four-all to swing the momentum in her favor.
But, after fighting back to upset Rybakina's rhythm, the top seed let her opponent off the hook by wasting a pair of set points in the next game to level the second set at five-all.
Sabalenka's failure to level the match affected her tie-break performance, with Rybakina taking every point to win the title.
This win, Rybakina's sixth over her rival, means Rybakina will move up one place in the rankings to fifth in the world rankings.
An emotional the runner-up appeared to be in tears as she met with her team shortly after the match.
"It was not the finest performance from me today but Rybakina you were definitely the better competitor," the Belarusian told the audience.
"You really overpowered me on court. I'm happy to see you at your peak. Enjoy this beautiful trophy."
