Ever since tasting a major breakthrough this season, Aryna Sabalenka has garnered a lot of attention. At the very start of the season, the Belarusian tennis star marked a significant campaign triumph at the Australian Open. Apart from her maiden Grand Slam title, the WTA superstar also enjoyed title-winning runs at the Madrid Open and Adelaide International. On top of all this, Sabalenka also had a runner-up finish at the US Open, where she was defeated by Coco Gauff.

The Belarusian has further risen up the rankings to become the new world No. 1 as a result of her tremendous success this season. As the top-ranked player on the women’s tour, Sabalenka will now be entering the WTA Finals as the favorite to win the highly anticipated tournament. However, it won’t be an easy task for the reigning Grand Slam champion, as she will be up against major challengers. Among them, three underdogs who could potentially topple her hopes in the event.

1. Aryna Sabalenka’s chances of winning the WTA Finals can be dashed by Elena Rybakina

Their recent clashes greatly highlighted the fierce on-court rivalry between the Kazakh tennis star and Sabalenka. Rybakina has locked horns with her Belarusian opponent three times this season, with the former prevailing on two occasions. However, it was the new world No. 1 who prevailed in their lone Grand Slam meeting at the Australian Open, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Two months later, the former world No. 3 exacted her revenge at the BNP Paribas Open, where she won the championship match in straight sets, 7-6, 6-4. Apart from this, Rybakina also emerged victorious against the reigning Grand Slam champion in the quarterfinals of the China Open, 7-5, 6-2.

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In addition to her triumph at the Indian Wells Masters, the Kazakh also bagged another singles title this season at the Italian Open. Now, given her recent success on the tour, the current world No. 4 could pose a serious challenge to Sabalenka, who leads their head-to-head record, 4-2.

2. Sabalenka will also be facing significant competition from Maria Sakkari

Despite entering the competition instead of her injured colleague Karolína Muchova, the Greek still has a good chance of winning, according to her stats. According to a recent tweet, “Maria Sakkari has won 12 WTA main draw matches in Mexico: more than all the other seven WTA Finalists 2023 combined (11 in total).”

The 28-year-old recently enjoyed a title-winning campaign at the Guadalajara Open, and she has now extended her total singles tally to two on the women’s tour. With her ferocious serve, powerful groundstrokes, and all-court game style, the former world No. 3 stands as a solid contender to win the outdoor hard-court tournament in Cancun.

In doing so, Sakkari might also make it quite a challenging contest for Sabalenka, who defeated her at this season’s Indian Wells and Mutua Madrid Open. The H2H record between the two WTA superstars is 3-6, with the Belarusian enjoying a comfortable lead.

3. Could Jessica Pegula also pose a challenge to Aryna Sabalenka?

The American tennis sensation has had a phenomenal season, having recently extended her WTA singles title tally to four. After reaching her sixth Grand Slam quarterfinal at Wimbledon, the 29-year-old later also made headlines in Montreal. Jessica Pegula brushed aside two top-ranked players, Iga Świątek and Coco Gauff, in order to secure her third WTA singles title at the Canadian Open. But that’s not all; the current world No. 5 marked yet another triumph this season at the recently concluded Korea Open.

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Apart from her title-winning runs, Pegula also made some notable impressions at the Dubai and Miami Open, where she reached the semifinal rounds. Being the current leader in hard-court wins this season, the American will enter the WTA Finals in top form.

The former world No. 3 will further look to make amends for her lackluster performance in the previous edition when she was knocked out by none other than Aryna Sabalenka. It was the fifth meeting between the WTA stars, and Sabalenka now has a commanding 4-1 head-to-head advantage.

Do you think the likes of Rybakina, Sakkari, and Pegula pose enough of a challenge to the Belarusian tennis star? Let us know in the comments section.

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