Aryna Sabalenka Etches Tennis History! Joins Serena Williams, Navratilova In Elite WTA Club

Last Updated:November 01, 2025, 15:48 IST

Sabalenka won her fourth Grand Slam at the US Open, reached three major finals, secured 2025 year-end No. 1, and joined an elite group of back-to-back WTA No. 1s in history.

Aryna Sabalenka poses for US Open women's singles trophy after win in the final. (Picture Credit: AFP)

Four titles, four finals, and a streak of relentless consistency: Aryna Sabalenka delivered another blockbuster season on the WTA Tour and etched her name into tennis history along the way.

The Belarusian powerhouse captured her fourth career Grand Slam title at the US Open, while making finals appearances at both the Australian Open and Roland Garros.

If that weren’t impressive enough, Sabalenka reached at least the quarterfinals in 13 of the 15 tournaments she entered in 2025. No other player matched that level of week-in, week-out dominance.

And now comes the ultimate reward. Regardless of how she fares at the WTA Finals in Riyadh, Sabalenka has already secured the 2025 year-end No. 1 ranking.

That makes it back-to-back seasons at the top, after also finishing 2024 as No. 1: a rare feat achieved by just 13 women since WTA rankings began in 1975.

The Elite Circle of Back-to-Back No. 1s

• Chris Evert
• Martina Navratilova
• Steffi Graf
• Monica Seles
• Martina Hingis
• Lindsay Davenport
• Justine Henin
• Caroline Wozniacki
• Serena Williams
• Simona Halep
• Ashleigh Barty
• Iga Swiatek
• Aryna Sabalenka

One More Record for the Books

Sabalenka has held the world No. 1 ranking every single week of 2025, joining an even smaller all-time elite club.

Only six other players — Evert, Navratilova, Graf, Seles, Serena Williams, and Ashleigh Barty — have ever managed that.

She’s also just the third woman this century, after Williams and Barty, to own the top spot wire-to-wire for an entire season.

Now, she’s setting her sights on one last milestone: her first-ever WTA Finals title.

The season-ending event kicks off Saturday in Riyadh, featuring all four Grand Slam champions of the year.

“It’s easier when you qualify early in the season, but I’m super excited," said Sabalenka, who clinched her spot in July.

“Honestly, I cannot wait to get back. I love that place, I love to play there, and I hope that this year I can do better than I did last year."

Siddarth Sriram

After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term...Read More

After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term...

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News sports Aryna Sabalenka Etches Tennis History! Joins Serena Williams, Navratilova In Elite WTA Club

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