Pop quiz: Which player in Riyadh owns the most WTA Finals titles?

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- They are gathered here, the best and the brightest tennis players of 2025. Who, we ask you would-be tennis aficionados, is the only one with multiple WTA Finals trophies in the case at home?

This week the question was posed to a number of people in and around the game -- and many came up empty.

The most popular answer was Katerina Siniakova, the 29-year-old from the Czech Republic with a total of 11 Grand Slam doubles to her credit. But, after losing in the WTA Finals twice in the past three years, she has only a single title, with Barbora Krejcikova three years ago in Guadalajara.

Other prominent vote-getters: Iga Swiatek (2023) and last year’s singles winner, Coco Gauff, are proud owners of one title at the year-end championships. This is Elise Mertens’ seventh trip to the WTA Finals (with her fifth doubles partner), but she, too, has only one title, captured three years ago in Fort Worth with Veronika Kudermetova.

“OK,” said Kudermetova, squeezing her eyes shut, racking her brain. “Maybe, maybe … it’s Babos! Yes, yes!”

Indeed, Hungary’s Timea Babos won three straight titles from 2017-19, twice with Kristina Mladenovic and once with Andrea Sestini Hlavackova. Going back to 2015, she qualified five consecutive times.

“Of course I knew that,” Babos said. “It’s a unique achievement.”

After an absence of six years, at the age of 32, she’s back at the year-end championships.

“Doubles is about partnerships,” Babos said, “and I needed a very good partner. I mean, yeah, obviously I am very proud of that. But I needed Luisa to be here again.”

“Vice versa,” said her partner Luisa Stefani, who is playing in her first WTA Final.

On Sunday night, the No. 7-seeded team had a challenging opening match scheduled against No. 2 seeds Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, falling 6-2, 3-6, [10-6]. Babos and Stefani will look to rebound Tuesday night against Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider.

The origin story for Babos and Stefani, like so many others in doubles, has a distinctly random vibe.

Babos finished in the doubles Top 10 for seven consecutive years, from 2015-21, but her ranking drifted into the 50s the past two. She began the season with Nicole Melichar-Martinez, and the pair went 5-3 in their first three tournaments.

Stefani picks up the story:

“I had a tough end of the 2024 season [knee surgery], so I was looking to get more matches and get my rhythm back. I went to play Linz [Austria] with Ingrid [Martins], a good friend of mine, also from Brazil, but the cut was so high, we didn’t get in.

“I saw Timmy was on the list as well, playing with a singles player [Lulu Sun], so I called her. We had never talked before, but I had her number. I was like, `Hey, Timmy, this is Luisa. Like I’m here, the cut is really strong. Do you want to play together so we can both get in?’ ”

Babos was at home in Hungary, about a two-hour drive from Linz.

“I was like, 'It’s close. Get some matches. Why not?’ ” Babos said.

When they entered the WTA 500 tournament, Babos was ranked No. 84. And then she and Stefani blew through the draw, defeating doubles star Siniakova and Zhang Shuai in the semifinals and Lyudmyla and Nadiia Kichenok in the final. Babos moved up 36 spots in the rankings, and a partnership was born.

They went on to win three more titles, at the WTA 500 Strasbourg and Tokyo as well as Sao Paulo, where Stefani was born. They reached the final in Ningbo, locking down their berths in Riyadh, and the Tokyo win punctuated their regular season.

The pressure of trying to qualify late in the season created some positive chemistry between the two.

“We not only held the pressure good, but we outstepped our own limits,” Babos explained. “It was very tough but fun and good at the same time.”

Added Stefani, “I like her competitive spirit, her passion -- the way she brings it on the court and backs herself up. Like …

“… Basically,” Babos interjected, “I’m nuts a bit.”

The three championship trophies sit in a straight row of the case by the large-screen television in Babos’ living room back in Hungary. The last one was handed to her by Martina Navratilova, whose name -- thanks to a record 13 WTA Finals doubles titles -- is on the trophy.

Honesty, both players insisted, was the key to their burgeoning relationship.

“In the beginning, when we didn’t know each other you’re trying to be too nice, go around certain things,” Babos said. “Maybe don’t be direct about what I think she should do better or could do better. This we improved a lot. After honesty, we solved the problems.

“Obviously, we complement each other good. She stays on the forehand side, which obviously I need. Her skills on the net are very unique. She’s one of the best there. I’m glad we found each other.”

Click here to read article