Aryna Sabalenka smashed her racket and broke down in tears after losing to Elena Rybakina in the WTA Finals singles final, missing out on the biggest single payday in women's tennis history. Rybakina, the sixth seed, produced a stunning performance to win 6-3 7-6 (7-0) against the world No 1 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Both players had won all three of their round-robin matches to reach the final undefeated, meaning a record prize of $5,235,000 (£3.98m) was on the line for the champion. That sum is more than Sabalenka received for winning the US Open two months ago, where she earned $5m (£3.74m) for defeating Amanda Anisimova for her fourth grand slam title.
Rybakina, who was the last player to qualify for the year-end event, swept to her 11th consecutive win with a display of unstoppable serving and destructive groundstrokes. The 26-year-old saved two set points in the second set to force a tie-break, which she dominated 7-0 to claim her biggest title since winning Wimbledon in 2022.
"It's been an incredible week," Rybakina said. "I honestly didn't expect any result, to go so far is just incredible. Today was such a tough battle." Sabalenka, visibly distraught, later told the trophy ceremony: "I am getting old, I am getting really sensitive. So many things to be proud of. Not the best performance, she was definitely the better player. She literally smashed me out of the court."
Sabalenka was aiming to win the WTA Finals for the first time, having lost the 2022 final to Caroline Garcia. Despite the defeat, she set a new WTA record for season earnings, with her $2,695,000 for reaching the final taking her total to just over $15m, surpassing Serena Williams's 2013 record of $12,385,572. The event in Saudi Arabia, which has been accused of sportswashing, featured record prize money of $15.5m (£12m) in the second year of a three-year deal.
