Elena Rybakina Stuns Sabalenka to Win Historic £4m Payout
Rybakina secured her 45th hard court win of the year
Rybakina claimed the largest payday in WTA history by overcoming top-ranked Sabalenka in two sets at the tournament.
The 26-year-old produced a impressive performance to overcome four-times major winner Sabalenka 6-3 7-6 (7-0) in Saudi Arabia.
Because each competitor came through the tournament without a loss, the reward on offer was a record-breaking almost £4 million – the largest prize offering in WTA the sport's history.
The prize money tops the £3.74 million Sabalenka received for winning September's US Open, which was the most lucrative major tournament in the current year.
"This has been an amazing tournament," stated the Kazakh player.
"I honestly couldn't have predicted any result so to win the title was just unbelievable."
"Let me offer congratulations to Sabalenka for holding the top spot for a second year in a row, it's an tremendous achievement."
The champion, who was the world number six, delivered sixteen winning shots during a impressive opening set display.
The 2022 Wimbledon winner saved two chances before taking all four points in the sixth game of the set to go a break up and served out to seal the first set.
With the second set on serve, the world number one saved another two break points at 4-4 to swing the momentum in her favor.
However, after fighting back to upset her opponent's flow, Sabalenka failed to capitalize by squandering two set points in the following game to level the set at five-all.
Sabalenka's failure to force a decider impacted her tiebreak performance, with Rybakina winning all seven points to win the title.
This win, her sixth triumph over Sabalenka, means Rybakina will move up one spot in the WTA rankings to fifth in the world.
A distraught the runner-up was seen crying as she met with her coaching team shortly after the match.
"That was not the finest performance from me in this match but Rybakina you were certainly the better competitor," Sabalenka addressed the crowd.
"You really overpowered me out of the court. I'm pleased to see you at your peak. Enjoy this stunning trophy."
