Aryna Sabalenka ends season as Year End No.1 but not on Alternative WTA Rankings with surprise top four, Emma Raducanu inside top 15

While the WTA season is done, it gives time to take scope as to the season that was and where players end the year. The alternative tennis ranking (UTR) sees Aryna Sabalenka though not finish on top unlike the main ranking where she had sewn up Year End No.1 some time ago.

Sabalenka was far and away the top player on the WTA Rankings with Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff some distance off the Belarusian who has spent the past few years either fighting for top spot or to keep it. She hasn't had to do that this year but she doesn't finish top of the rankings that take into account recent matches, quality of opposition and wins.

UTR stands for Universal Tennis Rating which is a global tennis rating system that provides a single accurate measure of a players skill level using actual match results including the strength of the opponents on offer. This provides more of a fairer gauge on current form it could be said than the current WTA Ranking system.

It is done out of 16 from 1.00 to 16.50 for instance Iga Swiatek is top with 129.6 compared to 12.92 from Sabalenka over the course of the season albeit Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina would be top if done on the three month trend which has them over the 13 mark.

Swiatek sits on top of this ranking despite the fact that in reality she has had perhaps the worst year of her career in many ways. She lost her Queen of Clay shine losing the Rome, Madrid and French Open titles in recent months and had many disheartening losses including in Miami to Alexandra Eala, Indian Wells to Mirra Andreeva among others. She also dipped out of the WTA FInals in the group stages. But she sits top on 12.96 compared to 12.92 for Sabalenka.

Perhaps another surprise albeit not so much given her recent form is a certain Elena Rybakina being third. She is now World No.5 but sits third in the UTR with 12.89. Based on these metrics she is the second best player in the world behind Sabalenka on three month trend winning Ningbo, reaching the semi's in Tokyo and winning the WTA Finals. So despite being further down on the rankings, she would be World No.3 if done on recent success over points.

While Amanda Anisimova is next up. In the eyes of many the best player on tour this year in regards to the comeback she has made to suddenly become an all conquering force who lost in two Grand Slam finals but ended up winning multiple WTA 1000's. Coco Gauff is fifth having won the French Open this year.

But Ekaterina Alexandrova who made her top 10 breakthrough earlier this autumn is 6th showing the form she has shown this year. She narrowly missed out on the WTA Race and was a second alternate who played one match after Madison Keys withdrew. Mirra Andreeva who was ahead of her in that race was in 10th in the alternative rankings showing that despite early season form, Alexandrova was better throughout.

One surprise after Jessica Pegula in 7th is Zheng Qinwen as she is the only one without any data in the past three months and hasn't played for most of the season but she remains in the top 10. While Elina Svitolina and Andreeva sit inside the top 10. Marketa Vondrousova is next. She won Berlin and reached the US Open quarter-final in a mini resurgence. While the two facets of the Montreal final in Victoria Mboko and Naomi Osaka are next to conclude the top 13.

Emma Raducanu would be World No.15 if we go off these metrics while Jasmine Paolini, a stalwart of the top 10 would be outside the top 15. Madison Keys who has barely played all Autumn also sits outside the top 20 even. While two stars of this year in Clara Tauson and Belinda Bencic are barely in the top 25.

Just outside the top 30 too is Eva Lys who has finished the season a best of 41st but her overall season form has gotten her into the top 32 of this ranking showing the great year she had.