The Queen of Aces: Elena Rybakina surpasses 500+ aces tally in 2025 - first player to accomplish landmark since 2016

Serving is a huge function in tennis. If you get it right, then you are likely to put your opponent firmly under the cosh. Many stars have been in this exact predicament when clashing against Elena Rybakina, who has recorded an incredible 503 aces, with no one in touching distance.

She is the first player on the WTA Tour to record 500+ aces in a single season since Karolina Pliskova in 2016. Rybakina has only one match left to match the Czech star's incredible tally of 530 aces, with that seemingly very much out of reach. However, she is likely to improve her tally in the WTA Finals final against Aryna Sabalenka later today.

It is starting to become a trend to see Rybakina high in the ace's tallies at the end of the year. She will finish 2025 as number one, with her 503-tally looking poised to increase. Her previous best came back in 2023 when she culminated with 455 aces. This tally has been blown out of the water with exceptional serving from the Kazakhstani star.

This exceptional skill she possesses has helped her massively in re-finding her best form on court. A late spurt of high-level tennis in the Asian saw her reach the WTA Finals for the third consecutive year. Her serve has been difficult for anyone to deal with, including two-time Grand Slam finalist Amanda Anisimova and world number two Iga Swiatek who were inevitably battered by Rybakina.

The power and accuracy she gets is superior to anyone, especially when it is functioning at its best. Her height helps her in this. Her 1.84 metre frame gives her a beneficial starting point to reach the exact spots in the court she is aiming for.

The stat also becomes even more impressive when you look throughout her up and down season. With just one title before clinching glory in the Ningbo Open, she was unable to unlock the quality she holds. Despite this, her serve was the thing getting her through many ties. Rybakina was the first player in 2025 to reach 200+ aces and has since then continued to grow her overall game with it inevitably catching up with her world class service.

There is still work to do for Rybakina to catch up with some of the best the sport has produced. Former world number one and two-time Grand Slam finalist Pliskova dominated with her serve. Between 2015-2016 it was at its absolute best. Ahead of pinning 530 aces in 2016, she surpassed the 500 mark with 517 in 2015. She sat top of the tree three years on the bounce, with her mustering up 452 aces in 2017. 2019 and 2021 also sees her the cream of the crop, but not with the numbers she formerly posed.

Aside from her, Serena Williams features heavily on the list. However, the 23-time Grand Slam champion has never been able to get past the 500+ mark. The closest she came was back in 2012 where she climaxed with 484 aces.

After qualifying by the skin of her teeth, Rybakina now finds herself in the final without even losing a match. She is on a 10-match winning streak. Her last loss? Against the world number one in the Wuhan Open. Sabalenka will once again be hoping to nick another win off the 2022 Wimbledon champion in Riyadh but will have her work cut out if she is unable to keep the Rybakina serve quiet. The world number six has so far hit 33 aces in this year's event, with 15 of them coming in her semi-final win over Jessica Pegula Ominous signs heading into the final WTA match of the year.