“She’s the favourite and will definitely win”: Aryna Sabalenka predicted to win the WTA Finals

The 8 female players who will be part of the WTA Finals have been defined, and the 18-time Grand Slam finalist Martina Navratilova analyzed the possibilities of the major stars who will attend Riyadh.

Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek will lead the field—both making their 5th consecutive appearance in the year-end tournament and, for the third consecutive time, being the two title favorites. The World No. 1 ranking is secured for Sabalenka regardless of the result, and Martina Navratilova sees her as the overwhelming favorite.

While Sabalenka and Swiatek had their names secured in Riyadh months ago, two names had to compete until the last moment to secure their spot in the WTA Finals: Jasmine Paolini secured her spot a week ago, while Elena Rybakina was the last to enter the top 8, amid a great campaign at the Toray Pan Pacific Open (Tokyo).
Aryna Sabalenka

The World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka will arrive as the main favorite after a phenomenal year—with a record of 59-11 so far and 4 titles—including the US Open, her 4th career Grand Slam title. “She was only three or four matches from winning the Grand Slam. Her consistency is not to be underestimated,” commented Navratilova in WTA website about Sabalenka. “There are so many players you can lose to these days, you have to be on your game at all times, and she was.”

“She peaked well for all the majors. She’s still rueing the French Open more than anything. She could have won that match against Coco Gauff. But she bounced back and reached the semifinals at Wimbledon, where she was beaten by Amanda Anisimova rather than beating herself. Then she won the US Open pretty decisively.”

The Belarusian seeks to improve on her best result back in 2022 when she finished as runner-up. After that, she was eliminated in the semi-finals in 2023 and 2024—both times against the eventual champion.

“She’s the heavy favorite on any surface, but particularly on a medium-pace hard court where you get a solid bounce and good footing. Her shots pay off on any surface and she has enough time to get into position. It’s fast enough for her to do damage and slow enough for her to prepare for her shots. She’s deadly on this stuff.”