Elena Rybakina Defeats Sabalenka to Win Record £4 Million Payout

Elena Rybakina secured the greatest reward in women's tennis history by defeating world number one Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets at the tournament.

Rybakina produced a stunning display to overcome four-times Grand Slam winner Sabalenka in two sets in the host country.

Because each competitor advanced through the tournament without a loss, the reward on offer was a historic £3.98m – the highest prize offering in WTA history.

This amount tops the £3.74 million the Belarusian earned for claiming the New York major, which was the highest-paying major tournament in the current year.

"It's been an incredible tournament," stated Rybakina.

"Truly didn't expect this outcome so to win the title was just remarkable."

"I want to say praise to Sabalenka for being number one for a second consecutive year in a row, it's an outstanding achievement."

The champion, who was the world number six, delivered sixteen winning shots during a commanding first-set display.

Rybakina fended off two break points before winning every point in the sixth game to go a break up and held her serve to seal the opening set.

With the second set on serve, Sabalenka saved two break points at four-all to shift the balance in her favour.

But, having worked so hard to upset Rybakina's rhythm, the top seed let her opponent off the hook by wasting two set points in the following game to tie the set at 5-5.

Sabalenka's failure to force a decider affected her tie-break performance, with the Kazakh winning all seven points to take home the championship.

The victory, her sixth triumph over Sabalenka, means she will rise one place in the rankings to number five in the world rankings.

An emotional Sabalenka was seen crying as she met with her coaching team soon after the final.

"It was not the finest display from me in this match but Elena you were definitely the superior player," Sabalenka told the audience.

"You literally smashed me out of the court. I'm happy to see you at your peak. Enjoy this beautiful title."