Elena Rybakina pockets largest payout in women’s sports with maiden WTA Finals title

Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina had herself a night on Saturday (early Sunday, PH time), stunning world no. 1 Aryna Sabalenka to win the WTA Finals, 6-3, 7-6(0), at the King Saud University Indoor Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Not only did Rybakina win her first WTA Finals title, she also made history in earning the largest payout in women sports, netting a total of US $5.235 million — more than Php 300,000,000 — after going undefeated in the tournament.

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Rybakina, 26, went undefeated in the group stage, 3-0. before winning against Jessica Pegula in the semifinals.

Then, in the Finals, she needed just two sets to upend the top-ranked Sabalenk, including sensational shutout in the tiebreak.

Rybakina relied on her dominant service game, firing 13 aces against Sabalenka in a match where she also won nearly 77 percent of her first-serve points.

But more than glory, her biggest win since Wimbledon in 2022, there is also the hefty payday for Rybakina.

It can be recalled that last year’s WTA Finals winner Coco Gauff netted the then-biggest payout which was at US $4.8 million (approximately Php 280,000,000).

Rybakina accumulated her eye-popping prize money thanks to her undefeated record. Wins at each of the levels of the WTA Finals corresponds to a set pot that increases as the competition goes on.

Participation fee in the tournament is valued at $340,000 while round-robin wins are given $355,000. The semifinals and the Finals jump up a notch, valued at $1.29 million and $2.54 million, respectively.

The prize pot of the whole competition was valued at $15.5 million, which is a $250,000 increase from last year’s benchmark.

During recent years, the prize money for the WTA Finals has seen a hefty increase. In 2023, with prize money funded by the WTA itself, only dangled $9 million.

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Luisa Morales is a sports writer with a special interest in promoting women’s sports.

Her coverage highlights include the UAAP, PVL, Southeast Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. She also follows Alex Eala, the Philippine women’s national football team, and mixed martial arts.