Rybakina Upsets Aryna Sabalenka to Claim Historic £4 Million Payout

Match Play

Rybakina sealed her forty-fifth hard-court win of the year

Elena Rybakina claimed the largest payday in WTA all time by defeating world number one Sabalenka in two sets at the tournament.

Rybakina delivered a impressive display to overcome four-times Grand Slam winner Sabalenka in two sets in the host country.

Since each competitor advanced through the event undefeated, the reward on the table was a record-breaking almost £4 million – the highest payout awarded in WTA history.

This amount tops the £3.74 million the Belarusian won for winning September's US Open, which was the highest-paying Grand Slam in 2025.

"This has been an incredible week," said the Kazakh player.

"I honestly couldn't have predicted this outcome so to reach the final was just remarkable."

"Let me offer congratulations to Aryna for being number one for a second year in a row, it's an incredible achievement."

Rybakina, who was the world number six, delivered sixteen winners during a dominant opening set performance.

The 2022 Wimbledon winner fended off two break points before winning all four points in the sixth game to go a break up and held her serve to seal the first set.

With the second set on serve, the world number one saved two opportunities at 4-4 to swing the momentum in her favor.

However, having worked so hard to upset her opponent's flow, Sabalenka let her opponent off the hook by wasting two set points in the next game to level the second set at 5-5.

Sabalenka's failure to force a decider affected her tie-break play, with Rybakina taking every point to win the championship.

The victory, Rybakina's sixth over Sabalenka, means she will rise one spot in the WTA rankings to number five in the world rankings.

A distraught Sabalenka appeared to be in tears as she met with her coaching team soon after the match.

"That was not the best performance from me today but Elena you were definitely the better competitor," Sabalenka told the crowd.

"You really smashed me on court. I'm happy to see you play your best tennis. Celebrate this stunning title."

Matthew Brown
Matthew Brown

A passionate travel writer and photographer with a love for uncovering Italy's lesser-known destinations and sharing authentic experiences.