The 5 defining WTA Tour rivalries of 2025 – ft. Sabalenka, Swiatek, Anisimova, Gauff

The 2025 WTA Tour season proved to be one of the best of recent years, with several incredible storylines emerging across the year.

Though different champions were crowned at all four majors, it was a year of impressive consistency across the women’s game, with key rivalries developing and emerging over the past eleven months.

Here, we look back at five of the best rivalries that helped define the women’s game in 2025 — and may well leave fans wanting more in 2026 and beyond.

Aryna Sabalenka vs Amanda Anisimova

2025 H2H: Sabalenka 3-1 Anisimova

Meeting in three straight Grand Slams and then the WTA Finals, Sabalenka versus Anisimova was perhaps the leading WTA rivalry of the season.

The emergence of Anisimova as a huge force in the women’s game was one of the biggest stories of the year, and she remained a challenging foe for Sabalenka — though the world No 1 did close the gap in their head-to-head.

Trailing 5-2 before the year, the Belarusian pulled one win back with a hard-fought 7-5, 6-3 victory over the American in the fourth round of the French Open.

However, Anisimova then picked arguably her biggest-ever win against Sabalenka in the semi-final of Wimbledon, prevailing in a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 thriller to reach her first major final.

A semi-final was updated to a final clash when the two met for a third straight major at the US Open, though on this occasion, it was Sabalenka who prevailed.

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After tough Grand Slam defeats across the year, the world No 1 defended her US Open crown with a 6-3, 7-6(3) over Anisimova, a match that suggested her greater experience had become a minor advantage in their rivalry.

Their rivalry ended with Sabalenka prevailing in another thriller against Anisimova in Riyadh, claiming a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 semi-final win.

But, while she undoubtedly has momentum, the American’s narrow 6-5 overall head-to-head lead suggests this will remain a tight rivalry across 2026 and beyond.

Iga Swiatek vs Elena Rybakina

2025 H2H: Swiatek 4-1 Rybakina

2025 was the year that six-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek wrestled control of her rivalry versus Rybakina, though the Kazakh’s late victory at the WTA Finals places both in an intriguing position for next year.

Swiatek was 2-4 down in their head-to-head heading into the season, though beat Rybakina 7-6(5), 6-4 with an impressive performance at the United Cup, right at the start of the year.

That was swiftly followed by a 6-2, 7-5 victory in the Qatar Open quarter-finals in February, and then followed by one of Swiatek’s most important wins of 2025 at Roland Garros.

Rybakina held a 6-1, 2-0 lead in their fourth-round clash, though the Pole battled back to seal a crucial 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory inside Court Philippe Chatrier.

That match in particular was representative of both women’s seasons across most of the year, with Swiatek fighting back into strong form after a tough few months — while Rybakina often struggled to get over the line in big matches.

That again proved to be the case when they met in the last four of the Cincinnati Open, with Swiatek prevailing 7-5, 6-3 in their semi-final showdown, on her way to lifting the title.

However, after four straight losses for the year, Rybakina impressively swept aside the Pole when they met at the WTA Finals, claiming a 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 round-robin win.

The Kazakh went on to triumph in Riyadh, and her next match versus Swiatek promises to be fascinating.

Aryna Sabalenka vs Jessica Pegula

2025 H2H: Sabalenka 3-1 Pegula

Matches between Sabalenka and Pegula have traditionally delivered, and while the head-to-head remains firmly in the world No 1’s favour, there were no comfortable matches between the two in 2025.

Sabalenka and Pegula first met this year in the final of the Miami Open — their first clash since their 2024 US Open final — and it proved to be a similar story.

The pair slugged it out across two sets, but ultimately it was Sabalenka who had the edge, battling her way to a 7-5, 6-2 victory and lifting the Miami Open title for the first time.

Five months later, they clashed for the second time this season, this time in the semi-final of the US Open — and it proved to be one of the best matches of the year.

Pegula rallied from an early deficit to take the first set, only for her rival to battle back, with a superb final set seeing Sabalenka prevail 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to reach the final, and ultimately defend her title.

But, just weeks later, a similar match saw Pegula exact revenge in dramatic fashion at the Wuhan Open.

The American was 5-2 down in the final set of their thrilling semi-final, though managed to snap a four-match losing streak versus the Belarusian — the three-time defending champion — with a 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(2) triumph.

Meeting in Riyadh, they again pushed each other to the brink, with Sabalenka getting back to winning ways with a battling 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 round-robin victory, another high-quality affair between the two.

Belinda Bencic vs Coco Gauff

2025 H2H: Gauff 3-1 Bencic

Though their rivalry may not have attracted as much attention as others on this list, the four clashes between Gauff and Bencic all had interesting narratives connected to them.

The pair first met this year in the fourth round of the Australian Open, with Bencic thriving in her first Grand Slam event back from motherhood.

After a tight start, third seed Gauff battled her way to a 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 victory in Melbourne, though it was a sign of the form that would power Bencic back to a year-end ranking of 11th.

And she would exact revenge against the American when they next met in the fourth round of Indian Wells in March, rallying to claim a memorable 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 triumph.

Gauff’s struggles on serve and with her forehand were evident during that match, but the 21-year-old proved to be in much better form in their remaining two clashes of 2025.

The clay swing was the strongest part of Gauff’s season — culminating in her triumph at Roland Garros — and she was also a Madrid Open finalist during the swing.

The American’s campaign in Madrid saw her do battle with Bencic for the third time in the space of five months, and a confident 6-4, 6-2 win signalled a return to form.

A tense 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-2 win for Gauff when the two met for the final time this season in Beijing swung the head-to-head in her favour, though both she and Bencic will look back at this year with positivity.

Iga Swiatek vs Amanda Anisimova

2025 H2H: Swiatek 1-2 Anisimova

Having never previously met at tour level prior to 2025, the three clashes between Anisimova and Swiatek proved to be among the most-discussed of the year.

Few can forget the astonishing Wimbledon final the two played, where a rampant Swiatek picked up her sixth major title.

The Pole became just the third woman in history to win a Grand Slam final 6-0, 6-0, with Anisimova evidently paralysed by the occasion inside Centre Court.

But, while some players never would have moved on from such a loss, the resilient American fought back to claim two major wins over the Pole.

Anisimova and Swiatek met for the second straight Grand Slam event at the US Open, and it was the American turning the tables, picking up a 6-4, 6-3 quarter-final win — ultimately reaching the final.

Their head-to-head for 2025 was ultimately decided in a ‘winner takes all’ clash at the WTA Finals, with the victor securing progression, and the defeated player heading home.

In Riyadh, it was Anisimova’s heavy ballstriking that won the day in a 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-2 triumph, leaving Swiatek with questions to answer in this match-up for next year.

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