Rybakina Upsets Sabalenka to Secure Record £4m Prize
Elena Rybakina secured her 45th hard-court triumph of 2025
Rybakina won the greatest reward in women's tennis history by defeating world number one Aryna Sabalenka in two sets at the tournament.
Rybakina delivered a stunning display to defeat four-times major champion Sabalenka in two sets in the host country.
Because each competitor advanced through the tournament undefeated, the reward on the table was a historic almost £4 million – the largest payout offering in WTA the sport's history.
The prize money tops the £3.74 million Sabalenka received for claiming the US Open, which was the highest-paying Grand Slam in the current year.
"This has been an fantastic week," said Rybakina.
"Truly couldn't have predicted any result so to go so far was just remarkable."
"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, hit 16 winning shots during a dominant first-set performance.
Rybakina fended off two chances before winning all four points in the sixth game of the set to take the break and held her serve to secure the first set.
With the second set on serve, the world number one defended another two opportunities at four-all to swing the momentum in her favour.
But, after fighting back to disrupt Rybakina's rhythm, the top seed let her opponent off the hook by squandering two set points in the following game to level the set at 5-5.
Her inability to level the match impacted her tiebreak performance, with Rybakina winning every point to win the title.
The victory, her sixth triumph over Sabalenka, means Rybakina will move up one spot in the WTA rankings to number five in the world rankings.
A distraught Sabalenka appeared to be in tears as she sat with her coaching team shortly after the final.
"It was not the best display from me today but Rybakina you were definitely the superior player," the Belarusian told the audience.
"You really smashed me out of the court. I'm pleased to see you at your peak. Enjoy this beautiful trophy."
