When Serena Williams’ was beginning to wind down, the WTA lacked leaders who could take women’s tennis forward. Many new Grand Slam champions emerged, but these players lacked the consistency Williams possessed to cement their place at the top of women’s tennis. Fast forward to 2025, and it looks like this problem is finally being solved as players like Aryna Sabalenka (4 major titles) and Iga Swiatek (6 major titles) push the sport forward. So it’s probably no surprise that this duo has also attained a unique record not achieved on the WTA Tour in the past 10 years.

Following the US Open, the Race to the WTA Finals Riyadh leaderboard was updated. Sabalenka and Swiatek have already qualified for the showpiece event in Riyadh. While Sabalenka tops that leaderboard, Swiatek closely follows her in second place. With this, the pair of Sabalenka and Swiatek became the first duo in the last 10 years on the WTA Tour to make it to five consecutive WTA Finals. The last pair to achieve this feat was the duo of Petra Kvitova and Agnieszka Radwanska, who reached five consecutive WTA Finals between 2011-2015.

Interestingly, Sabalenka is yet to win the WTA Finals trophy, whereas Swiatek clinched this title two years back, defeating Jessica Pegula in the final. But given her form of late, and momentum from her US Open win, Sabalenka looks likelier than ever to break that barrier and end her season on a high in Riyadh.

Meanwhile other stars who we might see at year-end championships include the likes of Coco Gauff, Amanda Anisimova, Madison Keys, Jessica Pegula, and Mirra Andreeva. Players like Elena Rybakina and Jasmine Paolini are close to the qualifying mark and would have to be at their best in the upcoming tournaments to qualify for the WTA Finals.

Further, Sabalenka has received praise from all fronts after her breathtaking US Open win. Recently, tennis legend Billie Jean King spoke about her, denoting what she really liked about the World Number 1.

Aryna Sabalenka gets special praise from Billie Jean King

Going into the US Open, there were some concerns about Sabalenka’s form and whether she’d be able to defend her title. However, the World Number 1 cemented her place at the top by winning the title at Flushing Meadows. Tennis legend Billie Jean King was impressed by Sabalenka’s performances in the tournament and revealed what she really liked about her.

She said, “What I love about you is that when you come out to play, you bring all of yourself. I mean, every particle of your being you bring. I would like to know how you get ready every time and every day for that, for every match?” Meanwhile, Sabalenka responded by saying, “I just love what I do, and I think when you love your job, you bring everything that you have. You are there, you are competing. You are just being you. I think that’s why. I think it’s important to be yourself and bring everything that you have on the court to be successful in your job.”

Going by their current form, the duo of Sabalenka and Swiatek would be the favorites at the WTA Finals. Who do you think will win the year-ending championships? Let us know your views in the comments below.