World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka has been amazingly consistent in 2025. After defeating Elina Svitolina in the Mutua Madrid Open semifinals on Thursday, Sabalenka advanced to her sixth WTA final this season.
That may not sound like many to the untrained tennis fan. However, that is three more than her closest competitor, Jessica Pegula, and four more than the others in the running: Madison Keys, Jelena Ostapenko, and Mirra Andreeva.
Sabalenka is 2-3 in these finals. She won the Brisbane International and the Miami Open tournaments. The losses came at the Australian Open (to Keys), Indian Wells (to Andreeva), and Stuttgart (to Ostapenko).
She will face Coco Gauff in the Madrid final. Gauff beat her in straight sets in their last meeting in the semifinal round at the 2024 WTA Finals.
Aryna Sabalenka Is Further Cementing Her Status As World No. 1
Her consistency, 19 career titles, and 3 Grand Slams have made her unquestionably the top women’s player in the game. She can play and win on any surface. She never seems fatigued or weary, even in less than optimal conditions or when she has a late match the previous day (as she did in Madrid with Marta Kostyuk).
Win or lose against Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka is in great shape and has to be considered a favorite to win Roland Garros, a Grand Slam that Iga Swiatek has owned in recent years, winning four of the last five French Opens. Swiatek has been the beacon of consistency on clay, but she is struggling right now, evidenced by the one-sided loss 1-6, 1-6 to Gauff, so much so that ATP player Casper Ruud sent a tweet to encourage her.
Hey @iga_swiatek keep your head up🙏🙏
Like millions of other people I love watching you play. Not your day today, but you inspire so many and you’ll be back stronger than ever!!😊🤩👏🎾 https://t.co/zV2lQE4kKq— Casper Ruud (@CasperRuud98) May 1, 2025
In the crazy times that have ensued in the 2025 WTA tennis season, the one constant has been Aryna Sabalenka. It remains to be seen if she can continue this high level of consistency throughout the marathon 11-month season.
