"Unfair from every point of view" - Aryna Sabalenka unhappy with title-winning prize money difference between her and Jannik Sinner at Cincinnati Open

Aryna Sabalenka recently won the 2024 Cincinnati Open title, which allowed her to take home $523,485 in prize money. However, the amount is roughly half of Jannik Sinner's, who triumphed at the Ohio-based hardcourt tournament playing in the same best-of-three format that the Belarusian did.

Sabalenka was in prime form during the WTA 1000 tournament in Cincinnati last week. The World No. 3 didn't drop a single set in her five match wins, which included a 6-3, 6-3 drubbing of her archrival Iga Swiatek in the semifinals.

For her efforts, though, the 26-year-old received only $523,485, eliciting plenty of controversy in the tennis world. Her fellow men's singles titlist Jannik Sinner, on his part, collected a $1,049,460 pay cheque — twice that of Sabalenka's tournament-winning prize money.

Aryna Sabalenka addressed the above discrepancy while speaking to The Guardian on Wednesday (August 21). She maintained that while male tennis pros were "physically stronger", their female counterparts deserved equal prize money for their work ethic.

"From the TV point of view, from the ticket selling, from every point of view, it’s unfair," Aryna Sabalenka told the Guardian. "Of course, guys are always going to be physically stronger than women but it doesn’t mean we’re not working as hard as they do. Women deserve to be paid an equal amount of money that men do."

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Aryna Sabalenka: "Beating Iga Swiatek in two sets was crazy and something I’m really happy about"

Sabalenka reacts after downing Iga Swiatek in Cincinnati

During the interview with The Guardian, Aryna Sabalenka also shared her thoughts on her rivalry with Iga Swiatek. The Belarusian had lost three of her last 11 matches against the World No. 1.

"Beating Iga in two sets was crazy and something I’m really happy about," Sabalenka said. "I think it’s something we are working really hard on, to make sure we face each other in the last stages of every tournament – that we keep going with this rivalry between the two of us."

The 26-year-old also spared a word for some of her other peers at the top, like Coco Gauff and Elena Rybakina.

"We cannot forget about [Elena] Rybakina, about [Barbora] Krejcikova, about Coco [Gauff]. And also Paula [Badosa] is coming back from injury and doing really well," she added. "I think that’s something cool for women’s tennis, to have several big names always reaching the last stages of the tournament; to see this consistency."

Aryna Sabalenka is one of the firm favorites to win her maiden US Open title. The final Major tournament of the year will run from August 26 to September 8.