Rybakina sealed her forty-fifth hard-court win of the year
Rybakina secured the largest reward in women's tennis all time by defeating top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets at the tournament.
The 26-year-old delivered a brilliant display to beat four-times major winner her opponent in two sets in Saudi Arabia.
Because both players advanced through the tournament undefeated, the prize money on offer was a unprecedented almost £4 million – the biggest prize offering in WTA history.
The reward tops the £3.74m the Belarusian earned for claiming the US Open, which was the highest-paying Grand Slam in 2025.
"This has been an fantastic tournament," commented Rybakina.
"Truly couldn't have predicted this outcome so to win the title was just incredible."
"Let me offer praise to Sabalenka for holding the top spot for a second consecutive year running, it's an incredible accomplishment."
Rybakina, who was the sixth-ranked player, delivered sixteen winning shots during a commanding opening set performance.
Rybakina fended off two chances before taking every point in the sixth game to take the break and held her serve to win the opening set.
As the second set progressed, the world number one defended two break points at four-all to swing the momentum in her favour.
However, after fighting back to disrupt her opponent's flow, the top seed failed to capitalize by wasting two chances in the following game to tie the second set at five-all.
Sabalenka's failure to level the match affected her tiebreak play, with the Kazakh winning every point to take home the title.
This win, her sixth triumph over Sabalenka, means she will rise one spot in the rankings to number five in the world rankings.
A distraught the runner-up was seen crying as she met with her coaching team shortly after the final.
"That was not the best display from me in this match but Elena you were certainly the superior competitor," Sabalenka told the audience.
"You really smashed me on court. I'm pleased to see you play your best tennis. Enjoy this stunning trophy."
