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Elena Rybakina secured the greatest prize in WTA history by beating top-ranked Sabalenka in two sets at the tournament.

The 26-year-old produced a impressive performance to overcome four-time Grand Slam winner her opponent 6-3 7-6 (7-0) in Saudi Arabia.

Because both players came through the competition without a loss, the prize money on the table was a record-breaking £3.98m – the largest payout offering in women's tennis history.

This amount surpasses the £3.74 million Sabalenka won for claiming the US Open, which was the highest-paying major tournament in 2025.

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

"I honestly didn't expect this outcome so to reach the final was just incredible."

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

Rybakina, who was the world number six, delivered 16 winning shots during a dominant opening set display.

Rybakina fended off a couple of break points before taking all four points in the sixth game of the set to go a break up and held her serve to win the first set.

As the second set progressed, the world number one defended two break points at 4-4 to swing the momentum in her favour.

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

Her inability to level the match affected her tiebreak play, with Rybakina taking all seven points to claim the title.

The victory, her sixth triumph over her rival, means Rybakina will move up one place in the WTA rankings to number five in the world rankings.

A distraught Sabalenka was seen crying as she sat with her team soon after the final.

"That was not the finest performance from me in this match but Elena you were certainly the better player," the Belarusian told the crowd.

"You really smashed me out of the court. I'm happy to see you at your peak. Enjoy this stunning trophy."