/>

Sabalenka determined to stay world number one after leapfrogging Swiatek

Sabalenka has enjoyed a spectacular season, defending her Australian Open title in January and adding the U.S. Open trophy to her cabinet last month, as well as enjoying victories in Cincinnati and Wuhan.

Published : Oct 23, 2024 21:41 IST , Bengaluru - 1 MIN READ

Belarus’s Aryna Sabalenka reacts after winnning a point.
Belarus’s Aryna Sabalenka reacts after winnning a point. | Photo Credit: AFP
infoIcon

Belarus’s Aryna Sabalenka reacts after winnning a point. | Photo Credit: AFP

Aryna Sabalenka’s return to top spot in the WTA rankings after leapfrogging Iga Swiatek has set up a thrilling end to the season, with next month’s WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia likely to prove decisive in the race to end the year as world number one.

Sabalenka has enjoyed a spectacular season, defending her Australian Open title in January and adding the U.S. Open trophy to her cabinet last month, as well as enjoying victories in Cincinnati and Wuhan.

Players are mandated to compete in six WTA 500 events but Swiatek’s decision to skip the tour’s Asian swing due to fatigue meant the French Open champion will only manage to play in two this season.

The penalties saw her drop below Poland’s Sabalenka in the rankings.

ALSO READ | Swiatek announces return to action at Billie Jean King Cup Finals

Sabalenka spent eight weeks at the summit last year before Swiatek overtook her with a victory at the season-ending WTA Finals and the Belarusian hopes for a longer stay as ‘N1’.

“N1... Let’s see for how long this time,” she posted on X on Monday after the latest rankings were released.

Sabalenka is also not in action this week after her Wuhan success and will lose points for only playing in four WTA 500 events. She currently has 9,706 points while Swiatek has 9,665 ahead of the Finals, which will offer 1,500.

The Finals will be held on hard courts in Riyadh from Nov. 2-9 and feature the top eight singles players and doubles teams.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment