Rybakina Defeats Aryna Sabalenka to Win Historic £4m Prize
Elena Rybakina sealed her forty-fifth hard court win of the year
Rybakina claimed the greatest payday in WTA history by beating top-ranked Sabalenka in straight sets at the WTA Finals.
The 26-year-old produced a stunning performance to beat four-times major champion her opponent in two sets in Saudi Arabia.
Since each competitor came through the competition undefeated, the prize money on the table was a record-breaking almost £4 million – the highest payout awarded in women's tennis history.
The reward exceeds the £3.74 million the Belarusian earned for claiming the New York major, which was the highest-paying major tournament in the current year.
"This has been an fantastic week," commented the Kazakh player.
"Truly didn't expect any result so to win the title was just incredible."
"Let me offer praise to Aryna for holding the top spot for a second year running, it's an tremendous accomplishment."
Rybakina, who was the world number six, delivered 16 winning shots during a commanding first-set performance.
The 2022 Wimbledon winner saved two chances before taking all four points in the sixth game of the set to go a break up and served out to win the opening set.
As the second set progressed, the world number one defended another two opportunities at four-all to swing the momentum in her favor.
But, after fighting back to disrupt her opponent's flow, the top seed let her opponent off the hook by wasting a pair of chances in the next game to level the second set at 5-5.
Her inability to force a decider affected her tie-break performance, with Rybakina taking all seven points to claim the championship.
The victory, Rybakina's sixth over her rival, means Rybakina will rise one place in the rankings to number five in the world.
A distraught Sabalenka appeared to be in tears as she met with her coaching team shortly after the final.
"It was not the finest performance from me today but Elena you were definitely the better competitor," the Belarusian addressed the crowd.
"You really smashed me on court. I'm happy to see you at your peak. Celebrate this stunning title."
