Top 5 Matches of the 2025 WTA Season

Ahead of the upcoming season, the WTA provided thrillers in 2025, between top-ranked stars, newcomers, and veterans. LWOT ranked the top five WTA matches of the season, one month after a similar ATP ranking was published. Disagree? Let us know your favorite matches in the comments.

Top 5 Matches of the 2025 WTA Season

No. 5: Maya Joint d. Alexandra Eala (WTA Eastbourne Final) 6-4 1-6 7-6 (10)

Eala makes the list twice here, as this match was arguably the toughest loss of her career to date. The youngster, who is expected to continue to rise in 2026, had never made a WTA Tour final before, and led by a break in the third set. Up against Joint, the 19-year-old ranked on the cusp of the world’s Top 30, Eala had multiple championship points, but let the lead slip. Joint used her fierce backhand under pressure to take home her second career title, 12-10 in the final-set tiebreaker.

No. 4: Iga Swiatek d. Elena Rybakina (French Open Fourth Round) 1-6 6-3 7-5

Swiatek and Rybakina have a fierce rivalry dating back to 2021, and fans were lucky to get five matches out of the pair in 2025. Their French Open meeting was by far the best, and nearly a huge turning point for Rybakina, who at that point had struggled during the season. Rybakina led by a set and a break, pounding winner-after-winner and keeping the Pole on the back foot. However, Swiatek’s experience at the French Open paid dividends, and she won the last three games of the match. The four-time champion would eventually lose in the semifinals.

No. 3: Alexandra Eala d. Clara Tauson (US Open First Round) 6-3 2-6 7-6 (11)

After Eala’s heartbreaking Eastbourne defeat, she got her own huge win in New York. In front of a pro-Eala crowd and packed Grandstand court, she came from 5-1 down in the third set to claim her fourth Top 20 win. The previous two matches on the list may have been played at a slightly higher quality, but this match contained both quality and drama. Tauson fought against the umpire and the crowd deep into the match. Meanwhile, surely some scars of that Eastbourne match were in Eala’s head as she inched towards the finish line. Eala saved five match points to beat the World No. 14.

No. 2: Amanda Anisimova d. Naomi Osaka (US Open Semifinal) 6-7 (4) 7-6 (4) 6-3 

On paper, the marquee match of the US Open women’s semifinals was Aryna Sabalenka battling Jessica Pegula in a US Open final rematch. Yet, this encounter surpassed the quality of the previous match, because both players battled through ebbs-and-flows with so much at stake. Osaka had an opportunity to reclaim a Grand Slam title, while Anisimova looked to delight the home fans and make the final. Osaka dictated the rallies at the beginning of the match, but Anisimova slowly became comfortable and eventually cracked 50 winners, many coming off her strong backhand. The American wrapped up the nearly three-hour battle after midnight, 6-3 in the third.

No. 1: Madison Keys d. Iga Swiatek (Australian Open Semifinal) 5-7 6-1 7-6 (8)

Not many tournament runs can top Keys finally hoisting a first Grand Slam trophy at the Australian Open. Keys defeated both the World No. 2 Swiatek and World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka late in the tournament, but her semifinal win over Swiatek packed the better punch. The American was match point down late in the third set, before winners across all sides of the court heightened the drama. Keys used her aggressive serve and flat groundstrokes to outhit Swiatek. The Pole looked to regain momentum in the final set tiebreak, but the American’s power was too much. Keys snuck through the match’s final three points to clinch the upset.