Aryna Sabalenka criticizes the fact that she earns half as much as Jannik Sinner as Cincinnati champion

Aryna Sabalenka had a great week in Cincinnati and claimed her sixth WTA 1000 title, but that doesn’t mean she’s happy with everything as the world number two believes it’s “unfair” that she received half as much money as Jannik Sinner.

On Monday in Cincinnati, the women’s final took place and Sabalenka won her first title of the tournament after beating Jessica Pegula 6-3 7-5. A few hours later, Sinner won the main event of the men’s tournament after a 7-6 (4) 6-2 victory.

On the day of the final, nothing controversial happened on the court or during the matches. But once it was all over and fans realized that Sinner had pocketed $1,049,460 for her victory while Sabalenka earned $523,485, it immediately led to some criticism and scrutiny not only from the tournament but also from the tennis authorities.

“From a television perspective, from a ticket sales perspective, from every perspective, it’s unfair. Of course, men will always be physically stronger than women, but that doesn’t mean we don’t work as hard as they do. Women deserve to be paid as much as men,” Sabalenka told the Guardian.

Sabalenka on her victory against Swiatek

The highlight of Sabalenka’s run to the Cincinnati title came in the semi-final, when she beat top seed Iga Swiatek 6-3 6-3. On paper, Sabalenka’s victory looked like a routine win – and while the Belarusian dominated most of the match, it wasn’t without drama, as the Pole saved nine match points before the world number two finally achieved her 10th championship point.

“Beating Iga in straight sets was crazy and I’m really happy about that. I think it’s something we’re working really hard on, to make sure that we play each other in the later stages of every tournament – ​​that we continue this rivalry between the two of us,” Sabalenka said.

For Sabalenka, it was her first victory over Swiatek since the 2023 Madrid Open.