WTA Finals prize money: How much is on the line as Sabalenka and Rybakina compete for biggest payday in women’s tennis?

Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina will compete for the biggest single payday in women’s tennis history as they bid to win the WTA Finals for the first time in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Sabalenka and Rybakina both won all three of their round-robin matches to advance to the final undefeated, which means a record prize of $5,235,000 (£3.98m) will be on the line for the champion.

It is more than Sabalenka received for winning the US Open title two months ago, where the World No 1 pocketed an overall prize of $5m (£3.74m) for defeating Amanda Anisimova for her fourth grand slam title.

Aryna Sabalenka has already sealed the year-end No 1 (REUTERS)

The biggest single payday of the season on the men’s side also took place in Riyadh, when Jannik Sinner defeated Carlos Alcaraz to win $6m (£4.5m) in the final of the Six Kings Slam exhibition.

Saudi Arabia is into the second year of its three-year deal to host the WTA Finals and announced record prize money of $15.5m (£12m) for the year-end event, which features the best eight players in the world.

It is the highest profile women’s tennis event to take place in Saudi Arabia, which has often been accused of using sport and entertainment to whitewash its human rights record.

Sabalenka will also set a new WTA record for season earnings, regardless of how she performs in Saturday’s final.

According to the WTA, Sabalenka has already won $12,313,519 this season – with the WTA Finals set to take her season earnings well above previous record owned by Serena Williams in 2013, when she won $12,385,572.