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Rybakina claimed the biggest payday in women's tennis history by beating world number one Sabalenka in two sets at the tournament.

Rybakina delivered a impressive display to beat four-time major winner Sabalenka 6-3 7-6 (7-0) in Saudi Arabia.

Because each competitor came through the event without a loss, the purse on the table was a unprecedented almost £4 million – the biggest prize offering in WTA history.

The prize money exceeds the £3.74m the Belarusian earned for claiming the US Open, which was the most lucrative Grand Slam in 2025.

"It's been an fantastic week," said Rybakina.

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

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

Rybakina, who was the sixth-ranked player, hit sixteen winners during a dominant first-set performance.

Rybakina fended off two chances before taking all four points in the sixth game of the set to take the break and held her serve to secure the first set.

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

However, having worked so hard to disrupt her opponent's flow, the top seed let her opponent off the hook by squandering two chances in the following game to level the set at five-all.

Her inability to force a decider impacted her tie-break play, with the Kazakh taking all seven points to win the title.

The victory, her sixth triumph over her rival, means Rybakina will move up 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 shortly after the match.

"It was not the finest display from me in this match but Elena you were definitely the superior player," the Belarusian addressed the crowd.

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