Sabalenka vs. Pegula: The Miami Open Final Clash – Who Takes Home the Massive Prize Money?

The memory of her “childhood dream” slipping away at the US Open final last year, courtesy of a straight-set loss to Aryna Sabalenka, still likely fuels Jessica Pegula. After that disappointment, Pegula admitted to a “glass half empty” perspective, noting her tendency to lose to eventual tournament winners. Now, just half a year later, she has a chance to rewrite that narrative as she prepares to face Sabalenka once more in the Miami Open final. This high-stakes encounter is the first Miami final to feature two Top 5 players since Serena Williams’ victory over Li Na in 2014. Amidst the anticipation, a practical question arises: what will the champion of the 2025 Miami Open Final earn?

This will be their ninth meeting on the Tour, and the Belarusian currently leads the H2H record by 6-2 (including 4-2 on hard courts and 2-0 in the finals).

Sabalenka has lost two consecutive finals this year (AO and Indian Wells).
Both Pegula and Sabalenka have already won one title each this season.
This will be Pegula’s third final of the season.

These two players are the only WTA players to reach more than two finals this season.
Sabalenka is the sixth player this century to reach both Indian Wells and Miami finals back-to-back.

Sabalenka will now be bidding to score three Top 10 wins in a single season for the second time in her career. On the other hand, Jessica Pegula will be bidding for her fifth win over a reigning world number one.

If Jessica Pegula beats Sabalenka, then she’ll become the oldest player to beat the world number one in a final since Martina Navratilova (1993).

Looking at the financial incentives and ranking points on offer at the Miami Open, this year’s outdoor hard-court event boasts a total prize pool exceeding $9,193,540, as per ATP’s official website.

By reaching the final, both Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula have already secured 650 crucial PIF WTA Ranking points and a significant sum of $597,890.

However, the stakes are even higher for Saturday’s champion, who will walk away with 1000 ranking points and a hefty $1,124,380 in prize money.

Both these players are making their maiden Miami Open final. Before this match, Jessica Pegula said, “I’m one of the best hard-court players in the world, and she’s the best hard-court player in the world.” If she manages to beat the best of the rest, then she could well be handed a huge rankings boost in the upcoming days. What’s it?

Before this tournament, Gauff had 6,063 ranking points, and Pegula had 5,361 points. Gauff got eliminated in the R16 at the hands of Poland’s Magda Linette, while Pegula’s impressive run to the final has now ensured her 5,796 points in the WTA Live Rankings, earning an extra 435 ranking points for surpassing her performance in the previous edition. If Jessica Pegula wins the final match against Aryna Sabalenka, then she will climb up the ladder and become the new world number 3 with 6,146 points, replacing Coco Gauff and becoming the new US number one.

Will these results impact Aryna Sabalenka’s ranking? Well, Sabalenka has won more matches than anyone else on the WTA Tour so far this season. So no matter what happens in Miami, the Belarusian star is guaranteed to stay atop the WTA Rankings. She is guaranteed to hold over 10,000 ranking points for the very first time in her career and will hold 10,541 points if she manages to beat the American in the final. Who has a real edge in this epic battle, though?