Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys agree on 2025’s most improved WTA player

Jessica Pegula & Madison Keys say Iga Swiatek should win WTA Player of the Year

Pegula and Keys both selected Victoria Mboko as their clear choice for Most Improved Player. The Canadian teenager began 2025 ranked outside the top 300 but ended the year as the world No. 18, after a breakout season built on consistency and big-time results.

Mboko dominated the ITF circuit early on and then stormed onto the main tour, capturing the Canadian Open — one of the most prestigious titles on the calendar — before lifting a second WTA trophy in Hong Kong. Her rise from obscurity into the top 20 has been one of the standout narratives of the year.

Surprisingly, despite such dramatic progress, Mboko has not been nominated for the official WTA Most Improved Player award.

WTA shortlist omits Mboko — but she earns another nomination

The WTA’s official nominees for Most Improved Player are Clara Tauson, Ekaterina Alexandrova, Linda Noskova, Mirra Andreeva and Amanda Anisimova, meaning Mboko was left off the list altogether.

She did, however, receive recognition elsewhere: the Canadian has been shortlisted for Newcomer of the Year, reflecting her rapid ascent into the higher tiers of the sport.

Mboko is not the only notable omission this awards cycle. Naomi Osaka was also left off one major shortlist, and the ATP Tour faced similar scrutiny after rising American talent Learner Tien was not nominated for an award many felt he deserved.

The winners of the WTA year-end awards will be announced in the week beginning December 15 — and Pegula and Keys will be watching closely to see whether Mboko’s breakout season receives the recognition they believe it merits.