Aryna Sabalenka crowned WTA Player of the Year for second consecutive season

Sabalenka finished the 2025 season with four titles and year-ending World No. 1 for the second straight year.

Aryna Sabalenka’s numbers highlight a year of domination in the 2025 season. The Belarusian reached nine finals, winning four of them. Titles at Brisbane, Miami, Madrid, and finally a successful US Open title defence marked Sabalenka’s year.

From start to finish, the 27-year-old maintained her World No. 1 ranking to claim the year-end honours as the top-ranked player in the WTA for the second year in a row. It has been 60 weeks since she dethroned Iga Swiatek to take over the top spot in the WTA Rankings in October 2024.

Sabalenka also set a single-season record for most prize money, earning $15 million in the 2025 season. Following a straight set win over Amanda Anisimova in this year’s US Open final, 6-3, 7-6 (3), she became the first woman since Serena Williams to win back-to-back titles at Flushing Meadows.

The four-time Grand Slam champion will now set her sights on defending her title at the WTA 500 Brisbane International when she begins her 2026 campaign. Seven of the WTA Top 10 players, including Aryna Sabalenka, are on the entry list for the 2026 Brisbane International.

Sabalenka also bagged the Player of the Year honours for second year in a row, backed by the international media for the award.

A rocky start to the season was soon forgotten, including championship round losses at the Australian Open and the French Open, as she finished the year with a 63-12 win-loss record. 

Sabalenka was joined by Carlos Alcaraz from the ATP Tour in clinching the Player of the Year award. The Spaniard enjoyed a stellar 2025 season and was never far from headline-making performances.

Alcaraz wound up the year as ATP World No. 1 for a second time in his career, winning eight titles this season, including two majors at Roland Garros and the US Open, adding two more Grand Slam trophies to his collection.

The 22-year-old Alcaraz made it a season of firsts by winning ATP 1000 titles at Monte-Carlo, Rome and Cincinnati for the first time in his career, in addition to titles at Tokyo and Rotterdam.

He now has 24 ATP–level titles under his belt, ending 2025 with a 71-9 win-loss record and a tidy $18 million in prize money. A memorable French Open final saw Alcaraz make it 5-0 in Grand Slam finals.   

Alcaraz also received the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award for the second time, an honour bestowed by his peers upon the six-time Grand Slam champion. The Spaniard is closing in on his 52nd week in the top spot and will look to complete a career Grand Slam at the 2026 Australian Open in January.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram