11 Jul 2026
Elena Rybakina Defeats Aryna Sabalenka to Claim Historic £4m Reward
Elena Rybakina earned her forty-fifth hard court victory of the year
Rybakina claimed the greatest reward in WTA all time by defeating world number one Sabalenka in straight sets at the championship.
Rybakina produced a impressive display to overcome four-time Grand Slam winner Sabalenka 6-3 7-6 (7-0) in the host country.
Since both players came through the event undefeated, the reward on offer was a historic £3.98 million – the biggest prize offering in women's tennis history.
The prize money exceeds the £3.74 million Sabalenka earned for claiming the US Open, which was the highest-paying Grand Slam in the current year.
"This has been an amazing tournament," said the Kazakh player.
"I honestly couldn't have predicted any result so to reach the final was just incredible."
"I want to say congratulations to Sabalenka for holding the top spot for a second consecutive year in a row, it's an incredible accomplishment."
Rybakina, who was the sixth-ranked player, hit sixteen winners during a impressive opening set display.
The 2022 Wimbledon winner fended off a couple of break points before winning every point in the sixth game of the set to go a break up and served out to win the first set.
With the second set on serve, the world number one defended another two opportunities at four-all to shift the balance in her favor.
But, having worked so hard to disrupt Rybakina's rhythm, the top seed failed to capitalize by squandering two set points in the next game to level the set at five-all.
Her inability to force a decider impacted her tiebreak performance, with Rybakina taking all seven points to win the title.
The victory, her sixth triumph over her rival, means she will rise one place in the WTA rankings to fifth in the world.
An emotional the runner-up was seen crying as she sat with her team soon after the match.
"That was not the best display from me in this match but Rybakina you were definitely the better competitor," Sabalenka told the audience.
"You literally smashed me out of the court. I'm pleased to see you at your peak. Celebrate this stunning trophy."