Big Three of women's tennis: Sabalenka, Swiatek and Gauff commandingly hold top three positions in rankings for third consecutive year

Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff have asserted themselves as the top three players on the WTA Circuit over the last few years. This is shown in their positions in the rankings, with the trio all placed in the top three for the third year on the bounce.

This scenario has not occurred since Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graaf from 1986-1988. It represents the dominance they have enjoyed at the top of tennis, with the three sharing a plethora of Grand Slam and big titles.

While they have been chopping and changing positions in the rankings between them, no one else has managed to close the gap and venture into the top three. While there are players who are poised to break the bubble, this domination Sabalenka, Swiatek and Gauff are enjoying will last for at least another year.

Sabalenka has had one of her most successful years on tour. The 1000 ranking points she collected after losing in the WTA Finals final against Elena Rybakina cemented her position as the world number one. She finished the year with 10,870 points - on the brink of surpassing 11,000 points for the first time in her decorated career.

Every Grand Slam saw her name heavily involved in the deeper stages. She reached the final of the Australian Open and French Open, losing both times to Madison Keys in Melbourne and Gauff in Paris. She suffered a shock defeat to Amanda Anisimova in the Wimbledon semi-final before finally getting over the line in a major event, lifting her second US Open title. Added to this is two WTA 1000 titles from three consecutive finals, highlighting her consistency at the top level which has left her in this position.

Someone who has been praised of her consistency is Swiatek, who by her lofty standards has had an off-season. There were concerns on whether she would even be in the top three at the end of the year. Going into the grass swing, she was ranked eighth in the world after suffering a hugely disappointing period on clay where her Roland Garros win streak was abolished. A final in Bad Homburg shot her up to fourth in the world heading Wimbledon, where a replenished Swiatek would cruise to the title in a ruthless tournament display. She would climb back into the top two, with a shot at the world number one on offer at the US Open after clinching the title in Cincinnati. However, a quarter-final defeat to Anisimova prevented those chances from panning out. She added a third title in 2025 at the Korea Open to bolster her position as second in the world.

This position was formerly held by Gauff after the American won her second Grand Slam title at Roland Garros. She was stunning on clay, also reaching two WTA 1000 finals in Madrid and Rome. However, from this point her season would derail spectacularly. After failing to pick up a win on grass, she struggled in the North American hardcourt swing. Her serve was heavily scrutinised, as she was forced into numerous tight matches. This continued into the US Open. She made it consecutive fourth-round exits after losing out to Naomi Osaka. Her season would take a turn for the better in Wuhan where she clinched her third WTA 1000 title to keep her among the best, reminding everyone of her undeniable quality.

The obvious player after the WTA Finals is Rybakina. The Kazakh was imperious throughout in Riyadh, blowing everyone away with some electric tennis. Her serve and forehand were too much for both Sabalenka and Swiatek to handle, who both loss to the rapidly improving 26-year-old ahead of her lifting the trophy.

Along with her, Anisimova should be heavily considered. Starting the year not even being a seed for Grand Slam events, it has been an unexpected but marvellous year for the American. Two consecutive Grand Slam finals being added to a brace of WTA Final triumphs places her fourth in the world, around 500 points behind her fellow countrywomen Gauff.

Aside from those two, other stars such as Jessica Pegula, Jasmine Paolini, Madison Keys and Mirra Andreeva will be here or there about, with talents like Victoria Mboko and Linda Noskova likely to carry on their incredible ascent up the rankings.