🔗 Share this article

World number one Aryna Sabalenka has been selected the Women's Tennis Association player of the year for a second straight season.

The 27-year-old won four tournament victories – the highest tally on the circuit – including successfully defending the US Open in September versus Amanda Anisimova to earn her fourth career Grand Slam singles triumph.

A Year of Dominance

Throughout the year, Sabalenka reached a circuit-leading nine finals, with losses coming against Madison Keys in the Australian Open final in January and Coco Gauff in the French Open final.

The star player also claimed victory at the Brisbane International early in the season, the Miami Open during the spring, and the Madrid Open in May. She spent the whole season as the world number one, finishing 2025 atop the rankings for a second successive year.

This past summer, she became the first player to exceed 12,000 WTA ranking points since Serena Williams in 2015.

Historic Achievements

Sabalenka finished the competitive year with a sixty-three to twelve win-loss record, and picked up a record eleven million pounds in earnings.

She garnered nearly eighty percent of the votes cast by international tennis media.

Later this month, she is poised to compete against 2022 Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios in a Battle of the Sexes-style exhibition match in a bid to "help bring women's tennis to a greater prominence".

Additional WTA Award Recipients

• Returning Star of the Year: Switzerland's Belinda Bencic, twenty-eight, received the award after taking 13-month break following the birth of her first child and returning to the sport at the start of this year.
• Newcomer of the Year: Canadian 19-year-old Victoria Mboko was honored with the award after beginning the season ranked outside the world's top 300 and soaring to the eighteenth spot.
• Doubles Team of the Year: Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend earned the title after winning their second career Grand Slam title together.
• Biggest Leap of the Year: Amanda Anisimova received the accolade after advancing to five finals.

Recently, Carlos Alcaraz took home three honours in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Awards, which included the year-end number one award, while Jannik Sinner was voted fans' favourite for a third consecutive time.