Three tournaments selected as the best, yet the Zheng Qinwen vs. Gauff match surprisingly left out?

When mentioning the most memorable events in this year's WTA Tour, many fans would probably first recall the WTA1000 Rome women's singles semifinal, where Zheng Qinwen and Gauff battled for three and a half hours. Ultimately, the Chinese star narrowly lost 6-7, 6-4, 6-7, missing the final; this match was also named the WTA Match of the Year.

However, in the recent selection by the famous American magazine "Tennis" of the top three most thrilling women's matches of 2025, this Rome semifinal did not appear. The following are the three nominated matches:

Third Place: US Open Women's Singles Fourth Round

Krejcikova Saves 8 Match Points to Overcome Townsend

Although a Grand Slam singles champion, Krejcikova’s overall performance this season was somewhat affected by injuries. She entered the US Open without a seeded position, but both she and Townsend, also unseeded, met in the round of 16. The Czech star advanced by saving eight match points to come back against Townsend.

Second Place: Montreal Semifinal

Mboko Stuns Sabalenka

As a rising young player born after 2005, Mboko made an impressive breakthrough this season. After reaching the round of 32 in her Grand Slam debut at Roland Garros, she shone during the North American hardcourt swing. At the home WTA1000 Montreal tournament, she consecutively defeated four Grand Slam champions including Kenin, Gauff, Osaka, and Sabalenka, claiming her first WTA Tour title.

Mboko’s championship run clearly demonstrates the high value of this title, especially with her upset victory over the strong hardcourt player Sabalenka in the semifinal, adding a significant highlight to her triumph. Notably, Mboko also won the singles title at the Hong Kong tournament in November.

First Place: Wimbledon Semifinal

Anisimova Defeats Sabalenka

Both players were among the most outstanding performers in the Grand Slams this season. Sabalenka’s worst result in the four majors was reaching the semifinals, and it was Anisimova who stopped the current world No.1 from reaching the Wimbledon final.

Although Sabalenka maintained her powerful game throughout, Anisimova’s superior offense and defense secured her the victory. Fans felt a bit disappointed as Anisimova lost all momentum in the final and was swept by Swiatek to finish runner-up.

Sabalenka later met Anisimova again in the US Open final, where the former triumphed, winning her first Grand Slam title after three final appearances this season, while Anisimova finished runner-up in two consecutive majors.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Barbie)