(Editor’s note: This article comes from Athlon Sports “Year in Review 2025” Magazinewhich celebrates the champions of the year and relives the greatest moments in the world of sport. Order your copy online todayor buy one at retail stores and newsstands nationwide.)
Just when you think you have the WTA figured out, it humbles you.
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Before the start of the 2025 season, the women’s professionals tennis seemed to be heading down a relatively narrow path. Aryna Sabalenka would take over the hard courts, Iga Swiatek would dominate the clay and challengers like Coco GauffElena Rybakina, Jasmine Paolini and Jessica Pegula would be there to benefit if one of the two heavyweights stumbled.
There were other potential challengers, of course, but for the first time in a long time the range of possible outcomes seemed surprisingly narrow.
Oops.
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Australian Open
Madison Keys comes out of nowhere
Aryna Sabalenka, the world’s No. 1 player, opened the season on fire. She dominated Brisbane, losing just one set en route to a title, then cruised through the early rounds of the Australian Open, where she entered as the two-time defending champion.
At that point, the tournament felt like a ceremonial. We were just biding our time until Sabalenka lifted the trophy for a third year in a row.
She has lost just two sets in her first 11 matches in 2025, making her a heavy favorite to face Madison Keys in the final.
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Throughout her career, Keys has been defined by her failure in big moments. As powerful and athletic as anyone on the WTA Tour, the Illinois native seemed poised to become one of the heavyweights of her generation, but she was always held back by her inability to meet the moment.
Keys was 1-5 in Grand Slam semifinals heading into the 2025 Australian Open, and her only trip to a major final ended in nightmarish fashion.
In fact, it looked like Keys’ blowout loss to unseeded Sloane Stephens in the 2017 US Open final was going to end up being the defining moment of her career. A climactic moment in her home Grand Slam was here, and Keys wilted.
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Tennis is a mental sport. This happens as much between the ears as between the lines. That’s why it’s extremely rare for a player to overcome the kind of baggage that Keys brought to the court on the final day of the 2025 Australian Open. Not only did she have to upset the world number 1, but she had to change the narrative of her entire career.
In the searing heat and ever-changing winds of Melbourne, Keys defied all odds and finally crossed a threshold that had eluded him.
The way she won the final, which ended 6-3, 2-6, 7-5, was poetic. Known for blending in in big moments, the American kept her cool against the double title holder.
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Not only was it the biggest victory of Keys’ career, but the 2025 Australian Open final was a reminder that this sport – normally cruel and unconcerned with romance – rewards, from time to time, patience and perseverance.
On the same subject: Review of the year 2025: Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner dominate men’s tennis
French Open
The continued rise of Coco Gauff
If Melbourne was a long-awaited breakthrough and a fairytale moment for a player who desperately needed one, Paris was the process.
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While Keys’ career zigzagged, Coco Gauff’s was linear.
Gauff had already established herself as one of the rising powers of women’s tennis with her victory at the US Open in 2023, but the jury was out on whether the American would ever conquer the clay at Roland Garros.
Gauff had made some deep runs in Paris during her career, but with Iga Swiatek dominating the box and Sabalenka establishing herself as the world’s No. 1 player, there seemed to be no room for Gauff.
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But the Florida native did what she does best. She gradually improved as the tournament progressed, earning a shot against Sabalenka in the final.
The Belarusian was the clear favorite and won the first set in a nervous tie-break, but Gauff took the match from there, making brilliant adjustments that completely unsettled Sabalenka and caused the world No. 1 to lose her composure.
The 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4 victory in windy conditions showed everything that makes Gauff such a formidable presence: speed on the court, improved forehand consistency and a steady hand in key moments.
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Wimbledon
Iga Swiatek’s superb performance
Even the best players in the world can surprise you in tennis.
For Swiatek, 2025 seemed like a lost year. The longtime world No. 1 lost intrigue in the semifinals of the Australian Open and did the same at the French Open, where she was a three-time defending champion. She was now entering the part of the season where she historically struggled the most.
The Pole has never seemed comfortable on grass, and that shows in her record at Wimbledon. Swiatek never made it past the quarterfinals in her first five trips to the All-England Club, and she only made it past the third round on two of those occasions.
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Seemingly without warning, Swiatek made sense of the grass in 2025. She reached the final of a Wimbledon warm-up, then took that form with her to London, where she turned in one of the most dominant performances in Grand Slam history.
She lost just one set en route to the final, where she met Amanda Anisimova, the American making an emotional return after a mental break from the WTA Tour. Anisimova was playing the best tennis of her career, but she ran into a buzzsaw.
Swiatek produced a flawless performance: 6-0, 6-0 in just 57 minutes.
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July 10, 2025; Wimbledon, United Kingdom; Aryna Sabalenka returns a shot during her match against American Amanda Anisimova on day 11 at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Mandatory credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images© Susan Mullane-Imagn Images
US Open
Aryna Sabalenka back on top
It was understandable why Sabalenka was so determined to win the 2025 US Open. She was the antagonist in Keys’ fairytale victory in Melbourne. She lost her cool against Gauff at Roland Garros. And she was upset by Anisimova during her romantic run to the final at Wimbledon.
Sabalenka had played second fiddle all year. Until now.
As she is wont to do, Sabalenka dominated the early rounds of the US Open, dropping just one set en route to a rematch with Anisimova, who was poised to write one of the great sporting stories of the year.
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But unlike the previous three Grand Slams, Sabalenka had the last laugh in the Big Apple, defending her title with a 6-3, 7-6 victory that saw her step up in big moments and control her emotions.
The victory was a reminder that Sabalenka remains the most consistent force in women’s tennis. While Keys, Gauff and Swiątek each had their moments of genius, it was Sabalenka who finished the season with a reasserted hold on the top spot in the rankings.
Related: Athlon Sports commemorates 2025 champions with ‘Year in Review’ magazine
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on December 31, 2025, where he first appeared in the Tennis section. Add Athlon Sports as Favorite source by clicking here.
