Aryna Sabalenka has been the dominant force on the WTA Tour this year.
The Belarusian reached three Grand Slam finals – winning one – and maintained her world number one ranking throughout the year.
As a result, the 27-year-old was named WTA Player of the Year ahead of Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Madison Keys and Elena Rybakina.
What are your thoughts on Aryna Sabalenka being named WTA Player of the Year?
As of this week, Sabalenka has held the world number one spot for 70 weeks in total – one week behind Caroline Wozniacki and Martina Navratilova.
However, the Belarusian may need to be more dominant in Grand Slam finals in 2026 if she wants to hold on to the top spot, especially if Iga Swiatek wins multiple majors.
Iga Swiatek is more ruthless in Grand Slam finals
Despite Sabalenka’s dominance in 2025, Iga Swiatek is the correct decision when predicting who will win more Grand Slams in 2026.
While Sabalenka has been dominant, she has demonstrated an inability – at times – to close out matches on the biggest stages, as exemplified by her losses in the French Open and Australian Open finals this year.
What does Aryna Sabalenka need to change in 2026 to win multiple Grand Slam titles?
Swiatek, on the other hand, is ruthless in these big moments. The Pole is yet to lose a Grand Slam final, winning on all six occasions. Sabalenka has won four of her seven Grand Slam singles finals.
Most recently, Swiatek won her first Wimbledon title, destroying Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 in the final.
Swiatek also has extra motivation heading into the first Grand Slam of the year. The Pole would complete the ‘Career Grand Slam’ if she captures the Australian Open title.
If she were to complete the set, Swiatek would have all the momentum heading into the clay court season – the period in the calendar when she has historically been the most successful.
Could we see a Sabalenka and Swiatek Grand Slam final in 2026?
Fans are yet to see a Grand Slam final contested by Sabalenka and Swiatek, who are clearly the two best WTA players on the planet at this current moment.
If the pair were to meet in a 2025 Slam final, the match would surely be a spectacle to behold.
Swiatek, who may skip WTA events next year, has won eight of her 13 matches against Sabalenka on the WTA Tour, dating back to the 2021 WTA Finals [Sabalenka won this match].
The pair have played each other twice at Grand Slam events. In 2021, Swiatek defeated Sabalenka 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 in the US Open semi-finals. Swiatek won second Grand Slam title at the event, defeating Ons Jabeur in the final.
Three years later, Sabalenka and Swiatek met in the French Open semi-finals. The Belarusian won the contest, beating Swiatek 7-6, 4-6, 6-0.
If the pair meet in the 2026 Australian Open, it will be in the final as they will be seeded one and two at the event.
