Elena Rybakina Upsets Sabalenka to Secure Historic £4m Prize
Elena Rybakina sealed her 45th hard-court triumph of the year
Rybakina claimed the largest reward in WTA history by beating world number one Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets at the WTA Finals.
The 26-year-old delivered a impressive performance to overcome four-times major champion her opponent in two sets in the host country.
Because each competitor advanced through the event undefeated, the reward on offer was a unprecedented £3.98 million – the largest prize awarded in women's tennis history.
This amount tops the £3.74 million the Belarusian won for winning September's New York major, which was the highest-paying major tournament in the current year.
"It's been an amazing week," said 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 Aryna for holding the top spot for a second consecutive year running, it's an incredible achievement."
The champion, who was the sixth-ranked player, hit 16 winning shots during a dominant opening set display.
The 2022 Wimbledon winner saved two chances before winning all four points in the sixth game of the set to take the break and served out to secure the first set.
With the second set on serve, Sabalenka saved two break points at four-all to swing the momentum in her favor.
However, after fighting back to upset her opponent's flow, the top seed let her opponent off the hook by squandering two set points in the next game to tie the set at five-all.
Her inability to level the match affected her tiebreak play, with Rybakina winning all seven points to win the title.
The victory, her sixth triumph over Sabalenka, means Rybakina will rise one place in the WTA rankings to fifth in the world rankings.
A distraught Sabalenka was seen crying as she sat with her coaching team shortly after the match.
"That was not the finest display from me in this match but Rybakina you were certainly the better player," Sabalenka addressed the crowd.
"You literally smashed me on court. I'm happy to see you at your peak. Celebrate this stunning title."
