Elena Rybakina Upsets Sabalenka to Claim Historic £4 Million Payout
Elena Rybakina secured her 45th hard court triumph of the year
Elena Rybakina secured the biggest payday in women's tennis all time by beating top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets at the tournament.
The 26-year-old delivered a impressive display to defeat four-time major champion Sabalenka in two sets in the host country.
Since both players advanced through the competition without a loss, the purse on offer was a record-breaking £3.98 million – the largest prize awarded in women's tennis history.
The reward exceeds the £3.74m the Belarusian won for claiming September's New York major, which was the highest-paying major tournament in 2025.
"It's been an amazing week," stated the Kazakh player.
"I honestly didn't expect this outcome so to go so far was just remarkable."
"I want to say congratulations to Sabalenka for holding the top spot for a second year running, it's an incredible achievement."
Rybakina, who was the sixth-ranked player, hit 16 winning shots during a impressive opening set performance.
Rybakina saved two break points before taking all four points in the sixth game of the set to go a break up and served out to win the first set.
As the second set progressed, the world number one saved another two opportunities at 4-4 to shift the balance in her favor.
But, after fighting back to upset her opponent's flow, Sabalenka failed to capitalize by squandering two chances in the following game to level the set at five-all.
Sabalenka's failure to force a decider affected her tiebreak performance, with Rybakina winning every point to take home the championship.
The victory, her sixth triumph over her rival, means she will move up one spot in the WTA rankings to fifth in the world rankings.
An emotional the runner-up was seen crying as she sat with her coaching team soon after the match.
"It was not the finest performance from me in this match but Rybakina you were certainly the better player," Sabalenka told the audience.
"You literally smashed me on court. I'm pleased to see you play your best tennis. Enjoy this beautiful trophy."