Aryna Sabalenka was stunned by a player ranked much lower than her earlier this year.
Sabalenka officially ended her 2025 WTA season earlier this month, finishing the year as the world number one again.
The Belarusian has won four titles this year including the US Open, but Sabalenka has been told she could have regrets from this year.
Sabalenka has lost very few matches this year, but one of the defeats she suffered came against a player ranked outside the top 150.
Marketa Vondrousova is the lowest ranked player to beat Aryna Sabalenka in 2025
One of Sabalenka’s 12 defeats this year came at the grass court tournament in Berlin, where she reached the semifinals.
Sabalenka would play former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova in the semifinals of the Berlin Tennis Open, who was the world number 164 at the time of their meeting after struggling with a shoulder injury that she underwent surgery on.
Vondrousova dismissed Sabalenka with a 6-2 6-4 victory, showcasing the grass court prowess that made her a Grand Slam champion.
When reflecting on the match, Vondrousova suggested that she relished being the underdog against the world number one, “I felt like I was the underdog yesterday, today also.
“She played great [Sabalenka], I couldn’t do much. I tried to stay in every point and tried to stay relaxed. It was a great last game.”
Vondrousova would go on to win the title in Berlin, but Sabalenka would get revenge over the Czech at the Cincinnati Open.
They were set to play again at the final Grand Slam of the year, but Vondrousova was forced to withdraw from the US Open quarterfinals after suffering another injury.
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Sabalenka’s defeat to Vondrousova is one of 12 losses she has suffered this year, with only Elena Rybakina able to beat her more than once this year.
Two of these defeats are in the finals of Grand Slams, including when Coco Gauff beat Sabalenka to win the French Open.
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The next lowest ranked defeat to Vondrousova for Sabalenka came at the Dubai Tennis Championships, when she was beaten by Clara Tauson.
| WTA Player who beat Sabalenka | Their ranking at the time | Tournament | Result |
| Madison Keys | No.14 | Australian Open (F) | Keys beat Sabalenka, 6-3 2-6 7-5 |
| Ekaterina Alexandrova | No.26 | Qatar Open (R32) | Alexandrova beat Sabalenka, 3-6 6-3 7-6(5) |
| Clara Tauson | No.38 | Dubai Tennis Championships (R16) | Tauson beat Sabalenka, 6-3 6-2 |
| Mirra Andreeva | No.11 | Indian Wells (F) | Andreeva beat Sabalenka, 2-6 6-4 6-3 |
| Jelena Ostapenko | No.24 | Stuttgart Open (F) | Ostapenko beat Sabalenka, 6-4 6-1 |
| Qinwen Zheng | No.8 | Italian Open (QF) | Zheng beat Sabalenka, 6-4 6-3 |
| Coco Gauff | No.2 | French Open (F) | Gauff beat Sabalenka, 6(5)-7 6-2 6-4 |
| Marketa Vondrousova | No.164 | Berlin Tennis Open (SF) | Vondrousova beat Sabalenka, 6-2 6-4 |
| Amanda Anisimova | No.12 | Wimbledon (SF) | Anisimova beat Sabalenka, 6-4 4-6 6-4 |
| Elena Rybakina | No.10 | Cincinnati Open (QF) | Rybakina beat Sabalenka, 6-1 6-4 |
| Jessica Pegula | No.6 | Wuhan Open (SF) | Pegula beat Sabalenka, 2-6 6-4 7-6(2) |
| Elena Rybakina | No.6 | WTA Finals (F) | Rybakina beat Sabalenka, 6-3 7-6(0) |
Sabalenka is now gearing up for the 2026 WTA season, where she will begin at the Brisbane International.
However, before then Sabalenka will play Nick Kyrgios in a Battle of the Sexes match, which has been highly criticised.
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