WTA Bagel Games: Who Owns the Best Bakery?

Bagels might be increasingly rare in modern tennis, but they’re not exactly uncommon on the WTA Tour. Considering how streaky women’s tennis can be, and how even the best players can have completely dreadful days, they happen more often than on the ATP side.

So we went and looked at the numbers to determine who was the bagel queen this year among the world’s best. In recent times, it’s been Iga Swiatek, and would you look at that: the Polish superstar once again proved to have the most potent bakery on tour, topping the list with 16 bagels on the year. That’s more than even the best baker on the ATP Tour managed.

But how does the rest of the list shake out? Let’s take a look.

WTA Bagel Games

Iga Swiatek (16)

What can be said about Iga Swiatek at this point? She’s the bagel queen and has been for years. Who can forget the double bagel against Pliskova in Rome? Or the historic double bagel in the Wimbledon final this year, something that looks unlikely to ever be repeated?

Sixteen bagels in a single season is absurd. It’s not just dominance. It’s systematic dismantling on a scale the tour rarely sees. Once again, deservedly, the bagel queen reigns supreme.

Amanda Anisimova (8)

If you thought Anisimova only deals in receiving bagels, you’re wrong. She dishes them out too. Eight is her total for the year, good enough for second place behind only Swiatek, who’s been doing this for far longer.

It’s no surprise given Anisimova’s breakout year. When she’s on fire, she’s impossible to stop. The power, the aggression, the sheer confidence: it all adds up to opponents getting steamrolled before they know what hit them.

Elena Rybakina (8)

Similar to the players above, Rybakina is almost impossible to stop when she gets on a heater. The serve is massive. The power is undeniable. And good luck defending when she’s hitting the ball inside the court with that kind of pace.

That lethal combination was enough to serve up eight bagels this year, proving once again that when Rybakina is locked in, you’re not winning games, let alone sets.

Jessica Pegula (7)

Somewhat surprisingly, Jessica Pegula finds herself at number four, even though we don’t really think of her as a dominant player. At least not in this way. She’s a winning player for sure, but not someone who typically erases opponents from sets.

Yet she got it done seven times this year, quietly putting together a strong season that only proves how hard she’s working on her tennis as a relatively late bloomer. The results speak for themselves.

Solana Sierra (7)

Sierra isn’t a player many will know if they only follow the top of the tour. She does most of her damage at lower levels, but she’s a very strong clay court player who tends to extend rallies. That style is perfectly designed to produce bagels.

On that surface, with her grinding approach, she simply breaks down opponents. Seven bagels this year tells you everything you need to know about how effective that formula can be.

Katie Volynets (7)

Katie Volynets plays risk-averse, smart tennis built around long rallies. That combination makes it incredibly hard to win points against her, which is the prerequisite to avoiding a bagel.

This year, seven times, players weren’t able to get it done. They got worn out, and eventually bageled by someone who simply refuses to make mistakes.

Ekaterina Alexandrova (7)

Contrary to the previous two names, Alexandrova plays very aggressive tennis, and it’s that aggression precisely what allows her to rack up bagels. She goes for every point, and on her day, that makes her incredibly tough to beat.

So tough, in fact, that even some of the elite players tend to struggle against her when she’s firing. Seven bagels in a season? That’s proof enough.

Coco Gauff (6)

There wouldn’t be a valid top 10 list without Coco Gauff on it. Her bagel numbers aren’t astronomical, largely due to her own struggles with serve consistency and occasional lapses. But if we had a stat that looked at how many sets she won where her opponent didn’t hold a single service game, she’d be near the top.

Gauff breaks serve as often as anybody on tour. Six bagels is what happens when everything else clicks into place alongside that elite return game even if it’s pretty rare.

Elise Mertens (6)

Mertens used to be elite and hasn’t quite been at that level in a while. Still, on her day, the Belgian is incredibly tough to beat. She often secures sets with ease, and on six occasions this year, she managed to lock down a bagel.

That’s pretty impressive for someone who’s operating a tier below where she once was. The talent hasn’t disappeared. It just shows up less consistently these days.

Lulu Sun (6)

It is no great surprise that Lulu Sun has made this list. She’s a hyper-aggressive player who essentially tries to hit a winner in every rally. When that approach works, it tends to work spectacularly, and it often results in bagels.

Six of them this year tells you that Sun’s high-risk, high-reward style pays off more often than it backfires. When she’s on, opponents barely get a look at the scoreboard before the set’s already over.

Conclusion

The WTA bagel list reveals a fascinating mix of grinding consistency and explosive aggression. Some players wear opponents down through sheer refusal to miss. Others blow them off the court with power and pace. And Iga Swiatek? She does both, which is exactly why she’s sitting at the top with 16 bagels and no one else even close.

Whether you grind or blast, the result is the same: 6-0, and another set added to the bakery’s inventory.