World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka has been involved in several nail-biting encounters this season, and the Belarusian took some time to reveal the best matches she has had this year on the WTA Tour.
The Belarusian is coming off a US Open title run, where she defeated Amanda Anisimova in the final. The American was hoping to redeem herself after falling decisively to Iga Swiatek in the Wimbledon final, but Sabalenka's firepower proved to be too much to overcome.
In a special for The Tennis Channel, Sabalenka was asked to rank her best matches thus far in the season. The two-time Australian Open champion was given a list from which she would select the matches she deemed as memorable.
Coming in fifth place was Sabalenka's quarterfinal bout against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. The Russian pushed the then-defending champion to three sets, with Sabalenka admitting she had to fight back to secure the victory.
Familiar foes dominate the rest of the list
Sabalenka's quarterfinal match against China's Qinwen Zheng came in fourth place, with the Belarusian stating she enjoyed the intensity of the encounter. Sabalenka would defeat Zheng in straight sets, before eventually winning the title.
Coming in at number three is her match against Laura Siegemund in the quarterfinals of the Wimbledon Championships. Sabalenka would win the match in three sets, and revealed she had to rely on her mental strength as her form was not up to standard.
Sabalenka's victory over Coco Gauff in Madrid came in at number two, with the World No.1 recording a straight sets victory in the final to lift the title. The Belarusian reasoned the match forced her to rely on tactics rather than power, which saw her prevail over the American.
The top spot belongs to her Roland Garros semifinal victory over rival Iga Swiatek, with the Polish star being the two-time defending champion. Despite the odds being against her, Sabalenka recorded a three set win, even getting a bagel in the final set. This win would boost her confidence moving forward, as Swiatek is widely considered as the best player on clay.
Growing up in a household where soccer was king, my earliest memories are filled with chants from packed stadiums and the rhythm of a ball being passed across neighborhood streets. But somewhere along the way, the quiet elegance and raw emotion of tennis pulled me in. What began as a curiosity became a lifelong passion; not just for the sport itself, but for the stories it tells: of grit, of heartbreak, of improbable comebacks and human resilience.
As a tennis writer, I bring the observational lens of someone who didn’t grow up in the sport, but fell in love with it as an outsider; a perspective that lets me see both its technical beauty and its emotional depth. Over the years working with TennisUpToDate, I’ve had the privilege of reaching more than 3.5 million readers worldwide, with one of my features ranking among the site’s top three articles.
With a background in storytelling and a creative mind always searching for meaning beyond the scoreboard, I aim to craft narratives that go deeper than results and rankings. Whether it’s a rising star breaking through or a veteran fighting off Father Time, I try to capture the heartbeat behind the headlines.