Aryna Sabalenka has broken into the Top 20 list of the highest prize money earners in WTA history.
The power-hitting Belarusian captured her second Grand Slam at the 2024 Australian Open on Saturday night, beating first-time major finalist Qinwen Zheng 6-3, 6-2 in just over an hour.
Sabalenka became the first woman to win back-to-back titles in Melbourne since 2013, a feat last achieved by her countrywoman Victoria Azarenka. There were striking similarities in how both of them won their second Grand Slam.
For Sabalenka, however, it seems she is not content with stopping at two and will be vying to win her third major when Roland Garros comes around. She is the only woman who has accumulated the most match wins at the major tournaments since the 2022 US Open.
Her superior record in Grand Slams means that Sabalenka has been able to fill up her coffers significantly. Because all four Grand Slams offer equal prize money across both tours, Sabalenka has benefitted greatly in her march to the Top 20 of the career prize money list.
For instance, this year's Australian Open total prize money stood at A$86.5 million, which was a record for the event. Sabalenka was fortunate enough to be the last woman standing, collecting a monstrous paycheck of A$3,150,000 (about $2,071,125).
Before the start of the tournament, Sabalenka ranked 23rd in the all-time list of prize money earners. But she has cracked the Top 20, eclipsing former World No. 1 Lindsay Davenport into 18th spot, amassing $22.5 million.
Only eight active women have won more in career prize money than Sabalenka, who is now the second-highest-earning Belarusian tennis player behind Azarenka.
The bulk of Sabalenka's earnings came from 2023, when she banked $8,202,653 for winning one Slam (2023 Australian Open) and finishing as a runner-up in another (US Open). She is on course to beat that mark after another stellar start to a new season.
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