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Rybakina secured the greatest payday in WTA all time by defeating world number one Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets at the WTA Finals.

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

Because each competitor came through the event without a loss, the purse on offer was a record-breaking £3.98m – the biggest prize awarded in WTA the sport's history.

The reward surpasses the £3.74m the Belarusian received for winning the US Open, which was the most lucrative major tournament in the current year.

"This has been an incredible week," said the Kazakh player.

"I honestly couldn't have predicted this outcome so to win the title was just remarkable."

"Let me offer praise to Aryna for holding the top spot for a second year running, it's an tremendous accomplishment."

The champion, who was the world number six, delivered 16 winning shots during a dominant opening set performance.

The 2022 Wimbledon winner saved a couple of break points before taking all four points in the sixth game of the set to take the break and served out to seal the opening set.

With the second set on serve, Sabalenka saved another two break points at four-all to shift the balance in her favour.

However, having worked so hard to upset Rybakina's rhythm, Sabalenka failed to capitalize by squandering a pair of set points in the next game to level the second set at 5-5.

Sabalenka's failure to level the match affected her tiebreak play, with Rybakina winning all seven points to take home the championship.

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

An emotional the runner-up was seen crying as she met with her team soon after the match.

"That was not the best performance from me in this match but Rybakina you were definitely the superior player," Sabalenka addressed the crowd.

"You really overpowered me out of the court. I'm happy to see you at your peak. Celebrate this beautiful trophy."