With the 2025 season done and dusted, there’s plenty to look back on. The season brought a wave of thrilling moments, with rivalries bursting to life. Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz took center stage in Grand Slam finals while the WTA sizzled with Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, and Coco Gauff battling fiercely for the top three spots.

The chaos has finally simmered down, but not for long. Tennis never has extended downtimes, and the next surge of action is already building. The 2026 season is just around the corner, but who will take charge and shape the year’s most exciting moments? Let’s find out through the tennis rivalries that came from this year:

1. Amanda Anisimova vs. Iga Swiatek

These two ignited a fierce rivalry in the 2025 tennis season. The American edged the world No. 1 from Poland two matches to one across three blockbuster showdowns on grass, hard courts, and indoors. Anisimova’s stunning comeback from outside the top 150 sparked a dream run deep into majors, where she repeatedly cracked Swiatek’s armor and made every battle unforgettable.

It all reached fever pitch on the lawns of Wimbledon. In her first Slam final, Amanda faced the reigning powerhouse for tennis’ grass crown. But history flipped the script as Iga Swiatek unleashed perfection, winning 6-0, 6-0. It was the first Grand Slam final shutout since Steffi Graf’s demolition of Natasha Zvereva at Roland Garros in 1988. With that, Swiatek became unstoppable in major finals: six played, six won, none lost.

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Their head-to-head told the story of inches. Across seven tense sets, Anisimova led 4-3, taking 30 games to Swiatek’s 32. The stats painted a mirror image: both fired six aces and nine double faults. But Anisimova’s 49% success on second-serve points topped Iga Swiatek’s 43%, and her clinical returning made the difference. When it mattered most, the American struck with precision, successfully converting breakpoints when it mattered.

Later, in New York at the US Open quarterfinals, Amanda Anisimova fought tooth and nail in a gripping three-set epic. Then came Riyadh, November 5, at the WTA Finals. Down a set, she roared back 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-2, winning 51% of all points played (107 of 210). Revenge tasted sweet indoors, her resilience now fully forged.

By season’s end, Iga still ruled the numbers with an 78.48% win rate (62/17) and three titles, crushing clay at 87% and steady even on grass at 75.68%. Anisimova soared to 64.38% (206-114) and two titles of her own, thriving on grass at 67.57% and on hard at 64.06%. Her breakpoint saves at 49.87% beat Swiatek’s 45.58%, proof of those razor-thin margins that defined this fiery tennis rivalry.

Should they meet in the 2026 season, they could certainly bring some heat to the court as Anisimova eyes a major title. Perhaps at Wimbledon for revenge? But there’s more!

2. Coco Gauff vs. Aryna Sabalenka

The two top players lit up the clay swing, splitting two marquee finals before meeting again at the WTA Finals. Gauff’s lightning speed and fearless defense went head-to-head with Sabalenka’s raw, explosive power. The American’s comeback win in Paris crowned her the French Open champion, but Aryna had struck first in Madrid and finished the year with payback in Riyadh. Their career head-to-head moved to a tight 6-5 in Coco Gauff’s favor entering the season, setting the stage for a clash of pure contrast.

Stat sheets told their own story. Aryna Sabalenka edged lifetime sets 13-10 and ruled the 2025 clay breaks in Madrid, converting 66.7% to Gauff’s 30.8%. Gauff fought back with clutch resolve, saving key breakpoints in Paris while keeping rallies alive deep past seven shots. Still, her eight double faults there stood out next to Sabalenka’s two. Every point hung on a knife’s edge, their duels shaped by defense, grit, and momentum swings measured in inches.

Madrid’s May 3 final saw Sabalenka storm to a 6-3, 7-6(3) victory, saving 69.2% of breakpoints to claim her third title in the Spanish capital. Then, on June 7, Gauff roared back under the Paris sun, rallying from a set down 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4 to lift her second career Slam and first on clay. Their paths crossed one last time on the indoor courts of Riyadh, where Sabalenka sealed a late break after trailing 5-4 in the opener to take the WTA Finals round-robin clash.

On the WTA side, they’re sure to bring more as Coco eyes the World No.1 ranking and Sabalenka looks to maintain her status at the top of the sport. But what about on the ATP side?

3. Valentin Vacherot vs. Arthur Rinderknech

The cousins Vacherot and Rinderknech turned family ties into tennis drama, clashing twice on hard courts with the Monegasque qualifier stealing the spotlight. Vacherot, entering Shanghai at No. 204, stunned the tour by toppling Novak Djokovic and Holger Rune en route to his maiden ATP title over his kin. Rinderknech, the higher-ranked Frenchman at No. 42, powered past Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev but fell short in both family showdowns.​

Vacherot leads 2-0 in their H2H, both on indoor/outdoor hard. In Shanghai, he rallied from sets down for the sixth time that fortnight, winning 92% of first-serve points in the decider with just one unforced error. Rinderknech fired 12 winners and two errors in set one but faded, as Vacherot’s 0.36 aces/game edged his cousin’s 0.64 amid tighter returns (40% vs. 36%).​

The Shanghai Masters final saw Vacherot rally 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 after two hours 11 minutes, becoming the lowest-ranked Masters 1000 champion since 1990 and Monaco’s first tour winner. Paris Masters R2 delivered the rematch: Vacherot edged 6-7(9), 6-3, 6-4 as a wild card, extending his cousin streak.​ While Vacherot called it “unreal,” noting two family winners.

4. Taylor Fritz vs, Carlos Alcaraz

Last but not least, the American and the Spaniard! They clashed four times this year across grass and hard courts, with Carlos holding a 3-1 edge.  On the tour, Carlos Alcaraz dominated 2025 with eight titles, including two Grand Slams. He returned to the No.1 position after taking down Jannik Sinner in the US Open. On the other hand, Taylor Fritz posted a solid run of two titles and made his way to the Wimbledon semifinals for the first time.

Speaking of SW19, Alcaraz edged a thrilling semi 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 7-6(6) over Taylor. He saved two set points in the fourth-set tiebreak to snap Fritz’s nine-match grass streak. The American then struck back at the Laver Cup, 6-3, 6-2, converting 16 of 20 net points and standing tall early. But in Tokyo’s final, Alcaraz rebounded 6-4, 6-4, as Fritz battled a thigh issue. Their finale in Turin was pure drama as Carlos rallied 6-7(2), 7-5, 6-3, sealing victory with clutch volleys in a 19-shot rally.

Their rivalry now stands at 5-1 in Carlos’ favor, but what could 2026 bring? The off-season grind is on, with both back to the practice courts before heading Down Under to kick off the new year. The question now: Which new tennis rivalries will light up the 2026 season? Share your thoughts in the comments below!