🔗 Share this article Rybakina Upsets Sabalenka to Claim Record £4 Million Prize Elena Rybakina sealed her 45th hard-court triumph of 2025 Elena Rybakina secured the biggest payday in WTA all time by defeating top-ranked Sabalenka in straight sets at the tournament. The 26-year-old delivered a brilliant performance to beat four-times Grand Slam winner Sabalenka in two sets in Saudi Arabia. Because each competitor came through the tournament undefeated, the reward on offer was a historic almost £4 million – the highest prize offering in WTA the sport's history. The reward exceeds the £3.74 million Sabalenka received for claiming September's US Open, which was the most lucrative Grand Slam in 2025. "It's been an fantastic tournament," commented the Kazakh player. "I honestly couldn't have predicted any result so to reach the final was just incredible." "I want to say praise to Sabalenka for holding the top spot for a second year in a row, it's an outstanding accomplishment." The champion, who was the world number six, delivered 16 winners during a commanding first-set performance. Rybakina fended off a couple of chances before winning every point in the sixth game of the set to take the break and served out to seal the opening set. With the second set on serve, Sabalenka saved another two break points at four-all to swing the momentum in her favor. However, having worked so hard to upset Rybakina's rhythm, Sabalenka let her opponent off the hook by squandering two set points in the next game to level the set at five-all. Sabalenka's failure to level the match affected her tie-break play, with Rybakina winning every point to claim the championship. This win, Rybakina's sixth over Sabalenka, means she will rise one place in the rankings to fifth in the world rankings. An emotional Sabalenka appeared to be in tears as she sat with her team soon after the match. "It was not the finest performance from me in this match but Elena you were certainly the superior competitor," the Belarusian told the audience. "You literally overpowered me out of the court. I'm happy to see you play your best tennis. Enjoy this beautiful trophy."