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History has a way of repeating itself in some way, and Aryna Sabalenka's highs and lows this year mirror those experienced by Lindsay Davenport two decades ago. The Belarusian has been perched atop the rankings throughout 2025, though she's set to win a Major title despite coming close on two occasions.
Davenport went through the same thing in 2005. She took over the top spot of the WTA rankings in October 2004 to enter 2005 atop the summit. She reached the final of the Australian Open to start the season but lost to fellow American Serena Williams in three sets. Sabalenka also finished as the runner-up at the season's first Major in 2025, going down to American Madison Keys in three sets.
Both of them lost their next big final during their respective seasons at the Indian Wells Open in another three-set heartbreak. Davenport was beaten by Kim Clijsters, while Sabalenka lost to Mirra Andreeva. Both of them made one final each of the next two Majors and suffered more misery after losing their respective matches from a winning position.
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Sabalenka lost to American Coco Gauff in the French Open final after blowing a one-set lead. Davenport, on the other hand, almost had her hands on the winner's trophy at Wimbledon. She held a championship point against compatriot Venus Williams in the final but couldn't get over the finish line. It remains the longest women's final at SW19, with the two battling for two hours and 45 minutes.
The two performed consistently in the other Majors where they didn't make the final. Sabalenka lost to Amanda Anisimova in the semifinals of Wimbledon, while Davenport lost to Mary Pierce in the quarterfinals of the French Open. The American continued to perform at a high level for the rest of 2005, though Major glory evaded her.
At the season's final Grand Slam, Davenport was knocked out by Elena Dementieva in the quarterfinals. She did win a WTA 1000 title, taking home the trophy in Zurich. She was also crowned as the year-end No. 1, and remained atop the rankings for all but seven weeks in 2005, with Maria Sharapova briefly interrupting her reign.
Four different Major champions that year coupled with Davenport's consistency helped her stay on top despite not claiming the spoils at the Majors herself. She won six titles from 10 finals that year, and Sabalenka is on a similar trajectory, though she still has some time on her hands to avoid the American's fate of missing out on a Major.
Aryna Sabalenka will aim to improve her results to avoid a repeat of Lindsay Davenport's 2005 season
Aryna Sabalenka is experiencing the same things in 2025 that Lindsay Davenport did in 2005. The current No. 1 will hope to avoid following in the former pro's footsteps completely for the rest of the season. She has been the No. 1 and the most consistent player this year, though she has fallen shy of success at the Majors, just like the American.
However, Sabalenka still has a shot at changing the narrative. If she defends her US Open crown in September, then the similarity with Davenport's 2005 season would cease to exist. The Belarusian has won three titles from seven finals this year. She captured the WTA 1000 titles in Miami and Madrid, along with the WTA 500 title in Brisbane.
Aside from the aforementioned losses in the Australian Open, French Open and Indian Wells finals, Sabalenka also lost to Jelena Ostapenko in the Stuttgart final. Hardcourts is where she shines the brightest, so she's got one last chance to claim a Major title this year.
Sabalenka has made the final of the last five hardcourt Majors, winning three of them. She won the Australian Open in 2023 and 2024, and added the US Open to her resume in 2024. She lost to Coco Gauff in the final of the US Open 2023, and as mentioned before, went down to Madison Keys in the final of the Melbourne Major this year.
While Davenport ended the 2005 season as the top-ranked player, Sabalenka could miss out on the same achievement unless she wins some titles for the rest of the season. Aside from her US Open title, she's also defending titles at the Cincinnati Open and the Wuhan Open.
Iga Swiatek is hot on Sabalenka's tail with her run to the Wimbledon final, and could narrow the gap even further if she wins the title. She's barely defending any points for the rest of the season, so she has plenty of room to overtake her rival. Gauff made early exits from the Cincinnati Open and the US Open last year, so even she's in the mix, though she does have titles to defend: the China Open and the WTA Finals towards the end of the season.
Sabalenka has her task cut out for her. She bounced back from some tough losses last year to taste massive success on hardcourts in the second half of the season. She will be gunning for an encore this year as well.
