Elena Rybakina Stuns Sabalenka to Secure Record £4 Million Prize
Rybakina secured her forty-fifth hard court triumph of 2025
Rybakina won the largest prize in WTA history by beating world number one Sabalenka in straight sets at the tournament.
The 26-year-old delivered a stunning performance to beat four-time Grand Slam champion Sabalenka in two sets in the host country.
Since each competitor advanced through the event without a loss, the reward on the table was a unprecedented almost £4 million – the biggest prize awarded in women's tennis the sport's history.
This amount surpasses the £3.74 million the Belarusian won for winning the US Open, which was the most lucrative Grand Slam in the current year.
"This has been an incredible week," stated Rybakina.
"Truly couldn't have predicted this outcome so to go so far was just unbelievable."
"I want to say congratulations to Sabalenka for holding the top spot for a second consecutive year in a row, it's an tremendous achievement."
Rybakina, who was the sixth-ranked player, hit sixteen winners during a dominant first-set display.
The 2022 Wimbledon winner saved two break points before taking all four points in the sixth game of the set to take the break and held her serve to win the first set.
With the second set on serve, Sabalenka saved another two opportunities at 4-4 to shift the balance in her favor.
However, after fighting back to disrupt her opponent's flow, Sabalenka failed to capitalize by wasting a pair of chances in the following game to level the second set at five-all.
Her inability to level the match impacted her tiebreak performance, with Rybakina taking all seven points to take home the championship.
This win, Rybakina's sixth over her rival, means she will move up one place in the WTA rankings to number five in the world rankings.
A distraught the runner-up was seen crying as she sat with her coaching team soon after the final.
"It was not the finest performance from me today but Rybakina you were certainly the better competitor," Sabalenka told the audience.
"You literally overpowered me on court. I'm happy to see you at your peak. Celebrate this stunning title."
