The 2025 season saw the continuation of some of the fiercest rivalries on the Hologic WTA Tour, and also the start of some new ones.

With so much depth and parity on tour, and a healthy mix of established Grand Slam champions and up-and-coming teenagers contending for titles, it’s a guarantee that more tremendous rivalries will take shape in 2026.

With the start of the season just days away, our resident experts broke down the rivalries they’re most excited about in the season ahead, and what makes them so compelling.

Aryna Sabalenka vs. Elena Rybakina

Sabalenka leads the head-to-head 8-6

Cole Bambini: One of the most prolific and even rivalries in the sport, we were spoiled to see this matchup four times this past season. Most recently, Rybakina defeated the World No. 1 in the WTA Finals title match, in the final match of the 2025 season.

With their history dating back to 2019, they’ve faced each other six times at WTA 1000s, three times at the WTA Finals and twice at Grand Slams. I’m most looking forward to another potential meeting at a Slam, as they haven’t faced each other since the 2023 Australian Open final, which Sabalenka won 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. 

Rybakina and Sabalenka are riding the most momentum heading into the 2026 season. Rybakina closed the season on a tremendous 11-match win streak and looks to continue that into the Australian swing. As for Sabalenka, she finished the season as the year-end No. 1 once again and won the last Slam of the season. If we’re lucky enough to see them square off late in Melbourne, it will be quite the treat.  

Coco Gauff vs. Mirra Andreeva

Gauff leads the head-to-head 4-0

Greg Garber: Don’t let that lopsided record fool you — this may well be the most enticing matchup in women’s tennis for the next decade and beyond. These are the two youngest players in the Top 10 of the PIF WTA Rankings, and they’re not going anywhere for a long, long time.

Gauff, who at 21 is three years and one month older, has understandably had the upper hand so far. The first two meetings — at Roland Garros and then the US Open, in 2023 — were a breeze for Gauff, but last year it was 7-5, 6-1 in Madrid and 6-4, 7-6 (5) in Rome. Because both players are lights out defensively, they’re going to post good results on clay, where they’ve met three times already. They’ve also demonstrated an ability to win consistently on hard courts, as well.

Andreeva, like Gauff was at that inexperienced age, is a work in progress but improving steadily; she was one of three players to win two WTA 1000 titles last year. She can also take solace from Gauff’s history with Iga Swiatek. Swiatek, who is likewise three years older, won their first seven meetings and 11 of the first 12. But Gauff has won the past three, all in straight sets, and the last one was an astounding 6-1, 6-1 effort in Madrid. Hold onto your hats.

Amanda Anisimova vs. Iga Swiatek

Anisimova leads the head-to-head 2-1

Brad Kallet: Perhaps I’m biased here, because I was in the building when Anisimova beat Swiatek in the US Open quarterfinals and avenged her Wimbledon final beatdown. That quarterfinal was intense, like a heavyweight title bout in boxing, the two power players exchanging blows in front of a rabid crowd that was firmly in favor of the American (and knew full well what Anisimova had endured a couple months prior). Anisimova called that win the most meaningful of her life, and a fascinating, layered rivalry was officially born.

What if I told you after that 6-0, 6-0 loss in London — an experience and scoreline that would torment many players for years — Anisimova would get her revenge at the next Slam, and then hold the advantage at year’s end? The Wimbledon final was the beginning of the story, but there are so many chapters yet to be written. Lucky us. 

Mirra Andreeva vs. Victoria Mboko

Never played on the WTA Tour (Andreeva leads 1-0 on the junior level)

Alex Macpherson: The rivalry I’m most excited about in 2026 hasn’t started yet. Andreeva, 18, and Mboko, 19, have separated themselves from the pack as the world’s top teenagers. Both became WTA 1000 champions in 2025, taking down a slew of established top players along the way. Andreeva broke into the Top 10 and Mboko rocketed into the Top 20.

They haven’t faced each other yet, though — at least not on the WTA Tour. (In 2021, Andreeva won their only junior encounter, 6-3, 6-2, on the hard courts of College Park.) When they do — which will hopefully happen in 2026 more than once — it will be a match to circle. Both players have unusually well-balanced styles, both offensively and defensively, and their first match will be tactically fascinating. It will also be the start of what should be a great rivalry for years to come.

Aryna Sabalenka vs. Coco Gauff

Head-to-head tied at 6-6

Noah Poser: How evenly matched is this rivalry between the reigning US Open and French Open champions? Here are some notable stats from their first 12 meetings:

Games won
Gauff: 155
Sabalenka: 153

Sets won
Sabalenka: 16
Gauff: 14

Longest win streak
Sabalenka: 2 
Gauff: 2

More often than not, when these two meet the match is exceptionally tight — and always hard fought, usually with some drama thrown into the mix. Adding to the intrigue is their unmatched intensity and unquestioned desire to win every time they step on the court. When these two champions play each other, the stakes feel elevated. 

Sabalenka won two of their three meetings in 2025, but Gauff claimed the biggest victory, defeating the World No. 1 in the Roland Garros final.