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Elena Rybakina won the biggest reward in WTA history by overcoming top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets at the championship.

Rybakina produced a brilliant performance to beat four-times Grand Slam champion Sabalenka in two sets in Saudi Arabia.

Since each competitor advanced through the tournament without a loss, the prize money on the table was a historic £3.98m – the largest prize awarded in women's tennis history.

The reward exceeds the £3.74 million Sabalenka earned for claiming September's New York major, which was the highest-paying major tournament in 2025.

"This has been an fantastic week," said the Kazakh player.

"I honestly couldn't have predicted this outcome so to win the title was just unbelievable."

"I want to say congratulations to Sabalenka for being number one 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 commanding opening set display.

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

With the second set on serve, the world number one defended another two break points at 4-4 to swing the momentum in her favour.

However, after fighting back to upset her opponent's flow, Sabalenka let her opponent off the hook by squandering two set points in the following game to level the set at five-all.

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

This win, Rybakina's sixth over Sabalenka, means Rybakina will rise one spot in the rankings to number five in the world.

An emotional Sabalenka appeared to be in tears as she sat with her team soon after the final.

"It was not the best performance from me today but Elena you were definitely the superior competitor," Sabalenka addressed the crowd.

"You literally overpowered me on court. I'm happy to see you at your peak. Celebrate this stunning title."