Editor’s note: Starting Monday, Oct. 20, we’re publishing Road to the WTA Finals, an eight-part snapshot of the qualifiers and the form they bring to Riyadh. Check back all week for new installments.
If there’s a single stat that sums up Aryna Sabalenka in 2025, it’s this: She started the season ranked No. 1 and, to date, has not relinquished it.
But up until the final Grand Slam of the season, there was still some frustration and a sense of unfinished business.
She reached the finals in Melbourne and Paris and made the last four at Wimbledon — by any measure, elite results. But for a World No. 1, the conversation inevitably shifts toward the biggest stages, and the majors kept slipping just out of reach.
She hadn’t won a title since May, and that gap stood out.
Then she came to New York as the defending champion, dropped just one set, and left with a second straight US Open title, her fourth major.
There was no longer any question where Sabalenka stood on tour.
The win in New York put Sabalenka back at the center of the sport and confirmed the standard she carried all season.
She played 70 matches in 2025 — second only to Iga Swiatek — and won 84 percent of them. She reached at least the quarterfinals in 13 of 15 events and added four titles (Brisbane, Miami, Madrid and the US Open), pushing her career total to 21.
Simply put, she’s still the player to beat.
Jimmie48/WTA
Sabalenka’s 2025 Season By the Numbers
2025 Record: 59-11
2025 Titles: Brisbane (500), Miami (1000), Madrid (1000), US Open (Grand Slam)
Previous WTA Finals Appearances: 2021 (lost in group stage), 2022 (lost in the final), 2023 (lost in the semifinals), 2024 (lost in the semifinals)
Best WTA Finals Result: Sabalenka’s best shot at winning the year-end tournament was in 2022. After losing to Maria Sakkari in her opening match, she upset the top three seeds — Jessica Pegula (3), Ons Jabeur (2) and Swiatek (1) — in succession to reach the final, where she lost to champion Caroline Garcia in straight sets.
Defining Moment of 2025: Without question, her US Open title defense — after a string of close calls at the majors — was the defining moment of her season. She also showed poise and maturity against American Amanda Anisimova, playing on home soil with the crowd behind her, in the final. This one really meant a lot to Sabalenka, and you could feel it.
Notable Stat: Sabalenka has gone 21-2 in tiebreaks this year, including a stretch of 19 straight wins between February and September. (Both the overall tiebreak wins and the winning streak are single-season Open Era records.)
Defining Quote of 2025: “When he passed away, I was very depressed. It was a tough moment for me, for my family. But in that moment, I decided to take it as motivation, to put our family name in the history [books]. I want to believe, and I think I feel his protection from up there. I know that he became my power, so it means a lot.” — Sabalenka, after winning the 2025 US Open, on how her father’s passing motivated her
What This Title Would Mean (+ What to Watch for in Riyadh)
Brad Kallet: As far as all-time achievements go, she’s missing the other two Slams and a WTA Finals title. Now in her fifth consecutive appearance at the Finals, can she cross this one off her list and add another signature trophy to her resume? After taking some much-needed time off after the Open and playing just one tournament in Asia, she should be well-rested for the final surge of the season. Ending her campaign with US Open and WTA Finals titles would be quite the statement in a career that’s been filled with them.
Greg Garber: It would a crowning achievement for Sabalenka.
Hard to believe she’s held the No. 1 spot for more than a year since surpassing Swiatek. Sabalenka’s handled the disappointments of losing in the Australian Open and French Open finals and falling short at Wimbledon quite admirably. Last year, she was a bit weary and nicked up after playing both China 1000s. This year …
At 27, she’s in her absolute prime. And with all “the kids” on the scene, still early in the curve, it’s time for her to make a definitive statement.