Rybakina Upsets Sabalenka to Secure Historic £4 Million Payout

Match Action

Rybakina earned her 45th hard court win of the year

Rybakina claimed the biggest payday in WTA all time by defeating top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets at the championship.

Rybakina produced a stunning display to beat four-time Grand Slam champion her opponent 6-3 7-6 (7-0) in the host country.

Since each competitor advanced through the event without a loss, the purse on the table was a record-breaking £3.98 million – the biggest prize awarded in women's tennis the sport's history.

The reward tops the £3.74m Sabalenka won for claiming September's US Open, which was the most lucrative major tournament in 2025.

"This has been an amazing tournament," commented Rybakina.

"I honestly couldn't have predicted any result so to win the title was just incredible."

"I want to say congratulations to Aryna for being number one for a second year running, it's an tremendous achievement."

The champion, who was the world number six, delivered 16 winning shots during a dominant first-set performance.

Rybakina fended off two break points before taking all four points in the sixth game to go a break up and served out to secure the opening set.

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

However, after fighting back to disrupt her opponent's flow, the top seed failed to capitalize by squandering two chances in the next game to level the second set at five-all.

Her inability to force a decider affected her tie-break play, with Rybakina winning every point to take home the title.

The victory, her sixth triumph over Sabalenka, means Rybakina will rise one place in the WTA rankings to number five in the world rankings.

A distraught Sabalenka appeared to be in tears as she sat with her team soon after the final.

"It was not the best performance from me today but Elena you were certainly the superior player," Sabalenka addressed the crowd.

"You literally overpowered me out of the court. I'm happy to see you play your best tennis. Enjoy this beautiful title."

Lisa Hamilton
Lisa Hamilton

A data scientist and writer passionate about demystifying probability and strategic analysis for practical applications.

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