Sabalenka ends as WTA year-end No. 1 ahead of Swiatek, Rybakina surges into Top 5

Aryna Sabalenka finished as the women's year-end No. 1 for a second consecutive season despite a heartbreaking ending at the 2025 WTA Finals.

Sabalenka was one victory away from winning the year-end championships. She previously finished as the runner-up to Caroline Garcia in 2022 before semifinal defeats against the eventual champions Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff in 2023 and 2024.

A thrilling semifinal triumph against Amanda Anisimova set up a final against Elena Rybakina. The Kazakhstani's huge serve proved decisive in a 6-3, 7-6 win, saving all five break points she faced.

Sabalenka's losses in the finals of this year's Australian Open, French Open, and WTA Finals and a narrow semifinal exit at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships against Anisimova meant this season was something of a missed opportunity for Sabalenka.

However, the Belarusian retaining her US Open title, winning 1000-level crowns at the 2025 Miami Open and 2025 Madrid Open, and consistently being excellent enough to finish as the year-end No. 1 mean it was still a very good season.

Swiatek secured her fourth consecutive Top 2 finish. The Pole slipped to No. 8 after losing to Sabalenka in the 2024 French Open semifinal due to going 12 months without reaching a final at any level.

Her fortunes dramatically changed after winning Wimbledon. That was followed by further title runs at the 2025 Cincinnati Open and the 2025 Korea Open before she ran out of steam at the WTA Finals, exiting in the group stage.

For the third consecutive season, Gauff finished as the world No. 3. Her most significant high was claiming a maiden French Open title after recovering from losing the first set against Sabalenka in the final.

Gauff also won the 2025 Wuhan Open, but could not defend her WTA Finals title. Another low point from this season was hitting more than 400 double faults for the second consecutive year. Second serve problems led to her hiring biomechanics coach Gavin MacMillan.

Rybakina's year-end ranking of No. 5 seemed highly unlikely when she slipped outside of the Top 10 earlier this season. Despite the euphoria from her triumph at the WTA Finals, she still pointedly refused to take a photo with the WTA chief afterward.

Amanda Anisimova's breakthrough season allowed her to finish as the world No. 4. Her achievements included runner-up finishes at Wimbledon and the US Open, and title runs at the 2025 Qatar Open and the 2025 China Open.

Jessica Pegula at No. 6, Madison Keys at No. 7, Jasmine Paolini at No. 8, Mirra Andreeva at No. 9, and Ekaterina Alexandrova at No. 10 complete the rest of the Top 10. Andreeva seemed sure of a WTA Finals spot before her form dipped later in the season.

Naomi Osaka's year-end ranking of No. 16 is still well below her prime. However, the former world No. 1 made significant improvements after hiring Tomasz Wiktorowski, Iga Swiatek's former coach. 2026 could be an excellent year for her if she keeps that momentum.

Belinda Bencic at No. 11, 2025 Canadian Open champion Viktoria Mboko at No. 18, Paula Badosa at No. 25, and Emma Raducanu at No. 28 are some of the other year-end rankings.