The one player who can challenge Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek in 2026 has been named

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Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek are the top two ranked players on the WTA Tour at the moment.

Sabalenka ended the season as the world number one for a second consecutive season after winning her fourth major title at the US Open.

The Belarusian is ahead of every player on the WTA Tour right now, with Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek as her closest challenger.

World number three Coco Gauff beat Sabalenka in the French Open final this year, but another player has been named as their closest challenger.

Martina Trevisan says who she thinks can challenge Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek in 2026

“Except probably Aryna or right now Iga. I would add [Elena] Rybakina…” 2022 French Open semifinalist Martina Trevisan told CLAY and RG Media.

Trevisan continued, “They have something extra—height, serve, physicality. But overall the level on the rest of the players on the WTA Tour is higher than four or five years ago. There are no easy matches.

“Aryna and Iga have something different and they show it in the tournaments, but the general level is very high. Every match is difficult.

“I think Jasmine [Paolini] said something similar: the bar is higher now than ten years ago. Even players ranked 120 are playing well. You always have to show your best tennis to win.”

Trevisan, who is currently the world number 702 after being away from the WTA Tour for eight months after undergoing foot surgery, has backed Elena Rybakina as the player to challenge Sabalenka and Swiatek, and she may have good reason to.

Rybakina beat Sabalenka to win the WTA Finals in an impressive finish to the 2025 season, which saw her end the year as the world number five.

The former Wimbledon champion may have the weapons to win the biggest titles, but Rybakina has provided a concerning injury update since the WTA Finals.

Martina Trevisan says if she thinks Jasmine Paolini can win a Grand Slam title

Although Trevisan has suggested that Rybakina will be the number one threat to Sabalenka and Swiatek in 2025, she has not ruled out other players as challengers to them.

Italian tennis is in a very strong position at the moment on both the ATP and WTA Tours, and Trevisan was asked if she thinks her compatriot Jasmine Paolini can win a Grand Slam title.

Paolini reached two Grand Slam finals in 2024, and Trevisan believes that she still has a chance to get her hands on a major title.

“Of course. She was very close last year,” answered Trevisan. “I wish for her to win a Slam, but it’s not easy. On hard courts, when someone serves well, it’s hard to break. I hope she goes as close as last year, but you can’t just say, ‘you’re going to win a Slam’.”

Paolini won the Italian Open this year and led Italy to a second Billie Jean King Cup victory, as well as qualifying for the WTA Finals in both singles and doubles.

While Sabalenka and Swiatek are the two top players on the WTA Tour right now, there have been four different Grand Slam winners this year, with Madison Keys winning the Australian Open and Gauff winning the French Open.