Tracy Austin: Aryna Sabalenka seeks season exclamation point with Riyadh title

The Hologic WTA Tour is gearing up for its grand finale in Riyadh, where the Top 8 women will compete for one last trophy at the 2025 WTA Finals.

From a no-filler field of the biggest names in the game, our team of Tennis Channel analysts drafted four players they deem most likely to succeed at the final tournament of the season. Who will wow the crowd and take home the title, and who will set themselves in good stead for the 2026 season to come?

🖥️📲 Stream all the action from WTA Finals on the Tennis Channel App!

The panel makes their picks:

COCO VANDEWEGHE

I chose my team because they’re coming in with the most confidence and strongest recent results.

Iga Swiatek: Swiatek is building momentum after winning Wimbledon and a title in Seoul, South Korea.

Amanda Anisimova: The American reached both the US Open final and the Wimbledon finals, and sandwiched those big results with a pair of WTA 1000 titles in Doha and Beijing.

Elena Rybakina: The former Wimbledon champion needed to win her way into Riyadh, capturing an 11th-hour title in Ningbo along with a semifinal run in Tokyo to make the WTA Finals with plenty of momentum.

Jasmine Paolini: A champion at home in Rome, Paolini completes the field and adds consistency from the back of the court.

TRACY AUSTIN

Aryna Sabalenka: The US Open champ brings momentum and, as world No. 1, seeks to put an exclamation point on a great year. Her tour-leading 57 match wins speaks to her sustained year-long dominance and confidence heading into the final tournament of the season. She arrives to Riyadh fresh and eager to take home a title she’s never won.

Amanda Anisimova: With her recent victory in Beijing followed by two weeks off this two-time WTA 1000 champ and two-time Slam finalist is rested, match-tough, and keen to make a statement on a medium-fast hard court, one that should fit her first-strike style like a glove.

Elena Rybakina: Rybakina kicked into high gear at the last minute to clinch a spot in Riyadh. At the end of a challenging year, she is now serving big and showing the easy power and quiet intensity that make her a potential champion everywhere she goes.

Jasmine Paolini: This late bloomer followed up career year in 2025 with more consistency in 2025, proving herself a worthy Top 10 player with big wins in Rome and at the Billie Jean King Cup. Back in Riyadh for a second time, she carries the experience she gained from this event last year, and the Italian is plenty capable of causing a few upsets.

VICKY DUVAL

Aryna Sabalenka: She’s been one of the most consistent players all season, and will be hungry to go deeper than her 2024 semifinal finish this year. Her aggressive, first-strike game is well suited for Riyadh’s indoor conditions.

Amanda Anisimova: Since her comeback, Amanda has been extremely impressive and fearless. Her resilience and deep runs at major events this year make her well-suited to handle the pressure of competing in her maiden WTA Finals.

Elena Rybakina: When her serve is clicking, she can beat anyone. She was so clutch these past few weeks to secure the eighth spot, the Kazakh is riding a huge wave of confidence right now.

Madison Keys: She is capable of taking the racquet out of anyone’s hand when she's in a rhythm on the serve and forehand. After nearly a decade since her last WTA Finals, she returns as a Grand Slam champ, competing with renewed purpose.

STEVE WEISSMAN

Aryna Sabalenka has a winning record against everyone in her Group, is the No. 1 player in the world, won the last Major of the year and should be well-rested to check off another box with her first year-end championship.

Amanda Anisimova was one of the first women to arrive in Riyadh and has won 12 of her last 13 matches on Tour, including the China Open title in Beijing. She's never played two of the three other women in her group, but got a big win over Iga Swiatek at the US Open. Her pure ball striking should translate well on these courts.

Jessica Pegula has a winning record against two of the other three women in her group, including a perfect 5-0 against Jasmine Paolini. She just ended Aryna Sabalenka's 20-match winning streak in Wuhan a few weeks ago. That should give her confidence to make a run at the title.

Madison Keys beat two of the three other women in her group on the way to her first Major title at the Australian Open this year. She is a big hitter that can make every match on her terms. Bookending the year with big titles in Melbourne and Riyadh would be the perfect way to script her best season yet.