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Elena Rybakina claimed the biggest payday in WTA history by overcoming top-ranked Sabalenka in straight sets at the WTA Finals.

The 26-year-old delivered a impressive performance to defeat four-times Grand Slam champion Sabalenka 6-3 7-6 (7-0) in Saudi Arabia.

Because both players advanced through the event without a loss, the reward on the table was a unprecedented £3.98 million – the highest payout offering in women's tennis the sport's history.

This amount exceeds the £3.74 million Sabalenka won for claiming the New York major, which was the highest-paying major tournament in 2025.

"It's been an fantastic week," stated the Kazakh player.

"Truly didn't expect any result so to reach the final was just unbelievable."

"I want to say congratulations to Aryna for holding the top spot for a second consecutive year running, it's an outstanding achievement."

Rybakina, who was the world number six, hit sixteen winners during a dominant opening set performance.

Rybakina saved a couple of chances before taking every point in the sixth game to take the break and served out to seal the first set.

As the second set progressed, Sabalenka defended another two opportunities at 4-4 to shift the balance in her favour.

However, having worked so hard to upset Rybakina's rhythm, Sabalenka failed to capitalize by squandering a pair of set points in the next game to level the set at 5-5.

Sabalenka's failure to level the match impacted her tie-break play, with Rybakina winning every point to claim the title.

The victory, Rybakina's sixth over her rival, means she will rise one spot in the WTA rankings to number five in the world.

An emotional Sabalenka appeared to be in tears as she met with her coaching team soon after the match.

"It was not the best performance from me today but Elena you were certainly the superior player," Sabalenka told the crowd.

"You literally overpowered me out of the court. I'm pleased to see you play your best tennis. Enjoy this beautiful trophy."