Despite being ranked No. 5 in the world, Elena Rybakina toppled all four players above her this season: Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, and Amanda Anisimova. So, how did she do it? Well, Rybakina’s 2025 season was far from straightforward, but a late-season resurgence changed everything, culminating in winning the WTA Finals. And with it, she broke a record that no woman had touched in nine years.

As the 2025 WTA season ended, one thing stood out above everything else: aces. At the top of that list was Rybakina, whose serve made her this year’s “Ace Queen.” She hit 516 aces, far more than any other woman. The next closest players were Linda Noskova (373), Clara Tauson (358), Ekaterina Alexandrova (339), and Naomi Osaka (307). Fun Fact: Rybakina was the only player to break 500 aces this year.

And with all this, Rybakina became the first woman in nine years to surpass 500 aces in a single season, a milestone last achieved by Karolina Pliskova in 2015 (517) and 2016 (530).

What made the difference was her consistency. On average, she hit 6.79 aces per match, recording at least 0.5 aces in 96% of her matches, 1.5 aces in 94%, 2.5 in 93%, and over 3.5 in 81%. Even in tough matches, she regularly hit 6 or more aces, showing her serve was a major weapon, finishing the season with a 59-19 record, including a flawless outing at the WTA Finals.

For Elena Rybakina, this is also a career milestone. It marks the second time she has finished No. 1 on the ace leaderboard, after first doing so in 2020. While Elena Rybakina ruled 2025 with her historic serving power, the year looked very different for rival Coco Gauff.

A breakthrough year shadowed by one costly flaw

Undoubtedly, Coco Gauff enjoyed a standout year. She lifted her second Grand Slam trophy at Roland Garros and became the first American woman since Serena Williams in 2015 to win a clay court major. She played a key part in leading Team USA to another United Cup title and gained some crucial momentum in winning the Wuhan Open.

Off the court, she set new records as the highest-paid female athlete for the second straight year. But even with all these wins, one weakness kept dragging her into trouble.

On the opposite end of the spectrum from Elena Rybakina, Gauff’s serve continued to break down under pressure, becoming the one area opponents targeted. She ended the season with the highest number of double faults on the tour.

Gauff finished 2025 with 431 double faults, which put her far ahead of the rest of the field.  Even after working with biomechanics expert Gavin MacMillan, consistent improvement to her serve has been slow to come amid a hectic calendar.

In the end, Elena Rybakina closed her season with a milestone that raised the standard. Coco Gauff, meanwhile, ends 2025 with a weakness to overcome.