Coco Gauff has emerged as one of the biggest stars of the sporting world, not just in tennis.
Gauff burst onto the scene aged 15, and the American ace has since become a leading figure on the WTA Tour.
Tennis legend Serena Williams has inspired Gauff, who at 21 years old is already a two-time Grand Slam champion.
She boasts 11 WTA titles in total, and has also managed to climb to number two in the world rankings, but has since dropped to world number three.
But Gauff isn’t the only superstar in women’s tennis, with world number one Aryna Sabalenka certainly held in that regard too.
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Aryna Sabalenka vs Elena Rybakina could be the most exciting rivalry in 2026
And it is Sabalenka who could be involved in the biggest and best rivalry on the WTA Tour throughout the 2026 season.
WTA Finals champion Elena Rybakina represents the other half of that rivalry, having returned to her best in 2025.
The duo have met a huge 14 times in their fantastic careers so far, with Sabalenka leading their head-to-head record 8-6.
But Rybakina emerged victorious from their most recent clash, which just so happened to be for the trophy at the WTA Finals.
With that title and with Sabalenka as world number one and winner of the US Open, a blockbuster tie in early 2026 could set the tone for the pair for the rest of the season.
Coco Gauff and Amanda Ansimova among the other exciting WTA rivalries
Sabalenka versus Rybakina certainly isn’t the only rivalry worth tracking in 2026, with many other battles – old and new – set to come to the fore.
Of course, Gauff does provide plenty of drama and excitement every time she takes to the court, and it is her rivalry with Sabalenka that is the one to watch concerning the American.
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Very intriguingly, they have beaten each other six times from their 12 meetings, so that is clearly a battle to keep an eye on.
Iga Swiatek’s ongoing battle with Amanda Anisimova should also be very interesting, with all three of their meetings having taken place in 2025.
After the Pole smashed the American 6-0, 6-0 in the Wimbledon final, the latter recovered to win their matches at the US Open and WTA Finals.
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