WTA 2025 Review: Sabalenka leads the pack once again

Aryna No.1 in the arena

Week in, week out, Aryna Sabalenka was ranked the top talent in 2025 and fully justified why that number stays next to her name on the scoreboard.

Just like 2024, the 27-year-old closed her campaign as the year-end No.1, having totted up a career-best yield of 63 match wins, to just 12 losses.

Those 63 victories propelled Sabalenka into eight finals, where she won four titles. There were trophy lifts at the WTA 1000 events in Miami and Madrid, as well as glory Down Under in the Brisbane International.

However, Sabalenka’s fourth title of 2025 was by far the most significant. In context, the ultra-consistent world No.1 had lost Grand Slam finals at the Australian Open and Roland-Garros, alongside a Wimbledon semi-final showing, before reasserting her major superiority in New York.

Sabalenka defied Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 7-6(3) to retain the US Open silverware to collect a fourth Grand Slam title.

It was a season packed with passion, grit and laugh-out-loud trophy ceremony moments. Take a bow tiger.

Stars and stripes thriving

The American flag flew prominently across the tennis tour in 2025. Take the WTA major finals.

Madison Keys, who had endured a demoralising US Open 2017 final loss, finally broke free of her doubts and limitations to blaze to a maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open with a scintillating 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 triumph over Sabalenka. (Keys also saved match point over No.2 seed Iga Swiatek in a blockbuster semi-final in Melbourne).

Amanda Anisimova is another American powerhouse to dazzle on the grandest stages – finishing as runner-up at both Wimbledon and the US Open. The fact that the 24-year-old competed in Wimbledon 2024 qualifying, proves what seismic resurgence Anisimova has built this year to soar up to world No.4.

Over to a certain Coco Gauff. The 21-year-old didn’t quite reach top gear in 2025, yet the Team USA superstar clinched a second major with a 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4 comeback over Sabalenka at Roland-Garros.

It’s impossible to write off this fierce competitor. Serve issues? Irrelevant. Unfavourable head-to-heads? No problem. Forehand flying off radar? Find a way. Gauff is the ultimate adapter.

“I think this win was harder than the first Grand Slam (US Open 2023) because you don't want to get satisfied with just that one," said Gauff in Paris. "I was going through a lot of things when I lost (the final) here three years ago… I'm just glad to be back here. I was going through a lot of dark thoughts."

Iga’s greatness transfers to the turf

Just like Gauff, Iga Swiatek endured plenty of adversity and was perhaps a few percent off the peak of her powers. At Roland-Garros, the supreme Pole surrendered her crown at the semi-finals stage.

What next?

Well, the world No.2 couldn’t have bounced back in a more emphatic fashion. Swiatek stormed into the Wimbledon semi-finals, relinquishing just two games to Belinda Bencic. The 24-year-old then swept aside Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 in the women’s final, with the most merciless, all-encompassing exhibition of Swiatek’s greatness. It was the first ‘double bagel’ in the Wimbledon women’s singles final since 1911 – Swiatek is used to making these kinds of major moves.

You might recall Swiatek has frequently revealed her discomfort on grass. Well, now she has a sixth Grand Slam in the trophy cabinet. Jazda indeed.

Intriguingly, Anisimova gained revenge at the US Open in the quarter-finals, with a 6-4, 6-3 passage at Flushing Meadows.

Mums the word Belinda

Tatjana Maria had her two daughters watching from the front row as the evergreen German – competing as a qualifier – won the first WTA event at Queen’s Club in London since 1973. What a heartwarming moment.

Well, the mums kept on bringing it in ‘25.

Taylor Townsend surged to becoming doubles world No.1, Elina Svitolina became entrenched in the singles Top 20 again courtesy of Elite 8 runs in Melbourne and Wimbledon.

How about four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka winning WTA 125 in Saint-Malo, France, for her first title since 2021 and maternity leave. The Japanese icon also booked a final run at WTA 1000 Montreal and navigated into the US Open semi-finals. Pretty astounding.

Step up Belinda Bencic - the WTA 'Comeback Player of the Year.'

The Swiss returned to the top tier in 2025 and lifted the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open trophy just 10 months after giving birth to daughter Bella. A Wimbledon semi-final spot and the Tokyo title the jewels, it’s been a mind-boggling year for Bencic.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medalist rose from world No.487 in January, to toast a No.11 finish.

Teenage triumphs the talk of the town

18-year-old Mirra Andreeva has been on the radar for a few seasons now and posted another collection of remarkable results this year. Andreeva lifted back-to-back WTA 1000 titles in Dubai, then at Indian Wells.

The teenage sensation bolstered her major credentials with statement wins over Grand Slam winners in the shape of Sabalenka, Swiatek and Elena Rybakina in order to take home these two prestigious prizes.

Canada’s protégé Victoria Mboko was world No.333 at week 1, by December, the 19-year-old had compiled a head-turning list of accomplishments as the WTA Newcomer of the Year.

Qualifying for a Grand Slam debut at Roland-Garros was pretty astounding. As a Lucky Loser, Mboko won a main draw match at Wimbledon. Next up, the teenager won a first top-tier title and it so happened to be on home soil at the Montréal WTA 1000. It was the perfect fairytale content. There’s more! Another trophy lift, this time in Hong Kong, sent Mboko into the Top 20.

Alexandra Eala, Maya Joint and Iva Jovic are a dynamic teenage trio who pulled off a series of head-turning results with fearless tennis and youthful exuberance. Keep tabs on these names in 2026!

The task for the established guard is becoming increasingly treacherous. It’s not only the teenage threats. Jasmine Paolini was spearheaded Italy to a Billie Jean King Cup defence and Elena Rybakina clicked back into a devastating gear of tennis to hoist up the WTA Finals trophy.

Contenders are across the board, 2025 proving all types of styles, generations and approaches can succeed on the women’s tour.