Elena Rybakina Stuns Sabalenka to Win Record £4 Million Reward
Elena Rybakina sealed her forty-fifth hard-court win of the year
Elena Rybakina won the biggest prize in women's tennis history by defeating top-ranked Sabalenka in two sets at the tournament.
The 26-year-old produced a brilliant display to defeat four-times major champion Sabalenka 6-3 7-6 (7-0) in the host country.
Because both players advanced through the competition undefeated, the reward on offer was a unprecedented £3.98m – the biggest prize awarded in women's tennis history.
The prize money exceeds the £3.74m the Belarusian won for claiming the New York major, which was the most lucrative major tournament in 2025.
"This has been an incredible tournament," stated Rybakina.
"Truly couldn't have predicted this outcome so to go so far was just unbelievable."
"Let me offer congratulations to Aryna for holding the top spot for a second year running, it's an incredible achievement."
The champion, who was the world number six, delivered 16 winners during a impressive opening set performance.
The 2022 Wimbledon winner saved two break points before taking all four points in the sixth game to take the break and served out to secure the opening set.
With the second set on serve, Sabalenka saved another two break points at 4-4 to shift the balance in her favor.
However, having worked so hard to disrupt her opponent's flow, the top seed let her opponent off the hook by wasting a pair of set points in the following game to level the set at 5-5.
Sabalenka's failure to force a decider affected her tie-break play, with Rybakina taking every point to take home the title.
The victory, Rybakina's sixth over her rival, means she will rise one place in the rankings to number five in the world rankings.
A distraught the runner-up appeared to be in tears as she met with her team soon after the match.
"That was not the finest performance from me in this match but Elena you were certainly the better competitor," the Belarusian addressed the crowd.
"You really overpowered me out of the court. I'm happy to see you at your peak. Enjoy this stunning trophy."