The best rivalry in women’s tennis has become clear at the WTA Finals after another classic match

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Amanda Anisimova and Aryna Sabalenka delivered once more, as they fought for a place in the final of the 2025 WTA Finals.

In a rematch of this year’s US Open final, the American and Belarusian battled it out in the Middle East.

Winning the first set 6-3, Sabalenka looked destined for the final before Anisimova leveled things up, forcing a deciding set.

In a back-and-forth match full of quality, it was Sabalenka who secured the win, defeating Anisimova for the third time this year.

Fans watching in Riyadh and at home on TV were entertained from the first ball to the last, as the world number one and four wrote another chapter in their gripping rivalry.

Aryna Sabalenka vs Amanda Anisimova is the best rivalry in women’s tennis

Some players just seem to produce magic whenever they set foot on a tennis court to compete against one another.

Borg/McEnroe, Navratilova/Evert, and Sinner/Alcaraz are all rivalries that will be remembered for generations, and we may soon have another to add to that list.

Sabalenka and Anisimova have met four times this year, at some of the biggest tournaments in tennis.

First, the pair met at the French Open, where Sabalenka won in straight sets, but it didn’t take long for the American to exact revenge.

With a place in the Wimbledon final up for grabs, Anisimova played the match of her life to beat Sabalenka in one of the hardest-hitting contests of 2025.

Facing off at a third consecutive Grand Slam tournament, Sabalenka and Anisimova did battle in New York a few months later, in the final of the US Open.

Keeping her cool, Sabalenka won an entertaining two-set match, becoming a four-time Grand Slam champion in the process.

Finally, in Riyadh, Sabalenka beat Anisimova in a thriller to qualify for the championship match, where she will meet Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina.

All four of their matches in 2025 will be worth re-watching once the season finishes, as two of the best players on the WTA Tour delivered time and time again this year.

It’s impossible to take your eyes off the pair of them when they strike the ball as hard as they do, and fans of women’s tennis will no doubt hope to see more matches between them in 2026 and beyond.

But who has the edge in what now looks to be the best rivalry on the WTA Tour?

Amanda Anisimova and Aryna Sabalenka’s head-to-head record

Sabalenka and Anisimova have played 11 matches in total, over a six-year period.

It’s Anisimova who leads the head-to-head, 6-5, although the momentum is now firmly with the world number one.

After losing each of their first four meetings, Sabalenka has now won five of the last seven, closing the gap to Anisimova.

She secured her first win over Anisimova in Rome three years ago, again picking up the win in an entertaining three-setter.

Sabalenka has since won matches in Melbourne, Paris, London, and Riyadh, turning the tide in their rivalry.

Now that both players are ranked inside the world’s top five, there’s a good chance we’ll see Sabalenka and Anisimova meet at the latter stages of ‘big’ tournaments in the new year.

WTA Top 5

• 1. Aryna Sabalenka – 9,870 points
• 2. Iga Swiatek – 8,195 points
• 3. Coco Gauff – 6,563 points
• 4. Amanda Anisimova – 5,887 points
• 5. Jessica Pegula – 5,183 points

Perhaps the pair will contest their 12th WTA Tour match at the upcoming Australian Open, and kick off the 2026 Grand Slam season with a bang…

The 2026 Australian Open is scheduled to begin on Monday, January 12.