Eight came to Riyadh. Nine participated. Two remain. Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina — the immovable forces of the 2025 WTA season — will meet under the desert lights with everything still to prove and nothing left to hide.
Both have swept through their groups unbeaten. Both have stared down danger in the semifinals. And now, as the last balls of the year are struck, only one will leave the Saudi capital as WTA Finals champion — and as the undisputed figurehead of women’s tennis in 2025.
Biggest Prize Money in Women’s Tennis History
Whoever wins will claim her first WTA Finals crown and finish the season as the form player of the circuit — along with a staggering $5.25 million payday, the biggest winner’s cheque in women’s tennis history.
That record total isn’t a one-off windfall, but the reward for perfection. The WTA Finals pay out in stages, with players earning bonuses for every victory: a $340,000 participation fee, then escalating through the round-robin phase — $695,000 for one win, $1.05 million for two, and $1.36 million for sweeping all three matches. From there, a semifinal victory adds $1.29 million, and the champion’s bonus another $2.55 million.
Because both Sabalenka and Rybakina arrived in the final undefeated — having won all four matches to this point — the 2025 WTA Finals champion will leave Riyadh with the maximum total of $5.254 million.
Sabalenka’s Final Frontier
For Aryna Sabalenka, it’s become the season of almost. The world No.1 reached finals at the Australian Open, Roland Garros, and Indian Wells — each one slipping away just before the line. But in Riyadh, she’s playing like a woman who’s run out of patience with her own near-misses.
After easing past Jasmine Paolini 6–3, 6–1 to open her campaign, Sabalenka survived Jessica Pegula in three sets and then came from 3–5 down to beat defending champion Coco Gauff 7–6(5), 6–2. It was the kind of turnaround that says more about temperament than technique — and it booked her semifinal berth atop the group.
Against Amanda Anisimova, in a rematch of their US Open final, Sabalenka steadied herself again: 6–3, 3–6, 6–3. A place in the final, and another shot at a trophy that has somehow always eluded her.
She’s been close before — beaten once by Caroline Garcia, stopped twice after that by eventual champions Iga Swiatek and Gauff. This time, the focus feels sharper. The aggression is measured. The belief, unshakable.
Rybakina’s Rise from the Shadows
Elena Rybakina wasn’t even sure she’d make it here. Late withdrawals and a late surge — a title in Ningbo, a semifinal in Tokyo — pushed her over the qualification line. Once in, she’s looked untouchable.
Her opening match set the tone: a 6–3, 6–1 demolition of Anisimova. Against Swiatek, she looked briefly vulnerable — one set down, then ruthless. Nine straight games later, it was 3–6, 6–1, 6–0, and Rybakina had her statement win.
Even a late substitution couldn’t derail her rhythm. Ekaterina Alexandrova, drafted in after Madison Keys’ withdrawal, was dismissed 6–4, 6–4. Then came Pegula — and another slow start, another cool recovery: 4–6, 6–4, 6–3.
If Sabalenka thrives on raw power, Rybakina wins through precision. Her serve has been the loudest sound in Riyadh all week — the kind that bounces off concrete and lingers. When the forehand follows, few can live with her.
Head to Head: Margins and Memory
Sabalenka leads their rivalry 9–6 and has won two of three this year — in Berlin and Wuhan — though Rybakina took the biggest of the bunch, crushing the No.1 in Cincinnati. She also beat Sabalenka in their last meeting at the WTA Finals, even if it came in a dead rubber.
In finals, Rybakina leads 2–1, but Sabalenka won the one that mattered most — the Australian Open in 2023. The subtext, then, writes itself: the game’s fiercest hitter against its cleanest striker.
What’s At Stake Besides Biggest Prize Money
Whoever wins will claim her first WTA Finals crown and finish the season as the form player of the circuit — along with a staggering $5.25 million payday, the biggest winner’s cheque in women’s tennis history. For Sabalenka, victory would be the signature on a year that’s tested her consistency but confirmed her supremacy. For Rybakina, it would be redemption — proof that her early-season injuries never dimmed her ceiling.
Either way, the script promises thunder and precision in equal measure.
Final Word
When Sabalenka’s fire meets Rybakina’s frost, something will have to melt. One will lift the heaviest trophy of the year; the other will leave knowing how thin the line between dominance and despair can be.
In Riyadh, under the lights, tennis gets its final act. If Rybakina’s shoulder holds we are in for a treat.
Elena Rybakina Enters WTA Finals With Quiet Determination
Who Earned What at the US Open 2025 – Women’s Singles Prize Money with All Player Names