Rybakina Upsets Sabalenka to Claim Historic £4m Payout
Elena Rybakina secured her 45th hard court triumph of the year
Elena Rybakina claimed the largest prize in WTA history by defeating world number one Sabalenka in straight sets at the WTA Finals.
The 26-year-old delivered a impressive display to overcome four-time Grand Slam champion her opponent 6-3 7-6 (7-0) in Saudi Arabia.
Because each competitor came through the event without a loss, the reward on the table was a record-breaking £3.98 million – the highest payout offering in women's tennis history.
The reward exceeds the £3.74 million Sabalenka won for winning the US Open, which was the highest-paying major tournament in the current year.
"This has been an incredible tournament," said Rybakina.
"I honestly couldn't have predicted this outcome so to go so far was just incredible."
"Let me offer praise to Aryna for being number one for a second consecutive year running, it's an incredible accomplishment."
Rybakina, who was the world number six, hit sixteen winning shots during a impressive first-set performance.
The 2022 Wimbledon winner fended off a couple of chances before taking every point in the sixth game of the set to go a break up and served out to seal the first set.
As the second set progressed, the world number one defended two opportunities at four-all to shift the balance in her favour.
However, after fighting back to upset her opponent's flow, the top seed let her opponent off the hook by wasting two set points in the next game to tie the second set at five-all.
Her inability to force a decider affected her tie-break performance, with Rybakina taking all seven points to win the championship.
This win, her sixth triumph over Sabalenka, means she will move up one place in the rankings to number five in the world.
A distraught Sabalenka was seen crying as she met with her coaching team soon after the match.
"That was not the best performance from me today but Rybakina you were definitely the better player," Sabalenka addressed the crowd.
"You really smashed me on court. I'm pleased to see you play your best tennis. Enjoy this beautiful title."
