Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka Wins Back-to-Back WTA Top Player Accolades.
World number one Aryna Sabalenka has been selected the Women's Tennis Association top performer of the year for a second straight season.
The 27-year-old captured four tournament victories – the highest tally on the circuit – which included retaining the US Open in September versus Amanda Anisimova to secure her fourth Grand Slam singles triumph.
A Year of High Performance
Across the season, Sabalenka reached a tour-best nine championship matches, with losses coming against Madison Keys in the Australian Open final at the start of the year and Coco Gauff in June's French Open final.
The Belarusian also won 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 top-ranked player, ending 2025 atop the rankings for a second straight year.
In July, she achieved the status of being the first player to top 12,000 WTA ranking points after Serena Williams in 2015.
Record-Breaking Achievements
Sabalenka ended the competitive year with a 63-12 win-loss record, and earned a record £11m in tournament winnings.
She earned nearly 80% of the votes cast by international tennis media.
On 28 December, she is set to play 2022 Wimbledon runner-up Nick Kyrgios in a high-profile mixed-gender exhibition match in a bid to "help bring women's tennis to a higher level".
Other WTA Award Recipients
- Returning Star of the Year: Switzerland's Belinda Bencic, 28, received the award after taking extended hiatus after the birth of her daughter and returning to the sport earlier this season.
- Rookie of the Year: Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko picked up the award after starting the season positioned outside the world's top 300 and climbing to world number 18.
- Doubles Team of the Year: Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend earned the title after winning their second Grand Slam title together.
- Biggest Leap of the Year: Amanda Anisimova received the accolade after advancing to five finals.
Last week, Carlos Alcaraz took home three honours in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Awards, which included the season-ending top rank award, while Jannik Sinner was voted the fan favorite for a third consecutive time.
