Aryna Sabalenka’s outstanding form in the final months of the 2024 season has propelled her back to the top of the WTA rankings. With victories in three of her last four tournaments—Wuhan, Cincinnati, and the US Open—Sabalenka’s rise was bolstered by Iga Swiatek’s absence and the ranking rules tied to mandatory WTA 500 event commitments.
With her latest triumph in Wuhan, her third title at the event, Sabalenka added yet another accolade to her impressive list of achievements, bringing her career title tally to 17. Her exceptional form, combined with the recent restructuring of ranking points due to WTA 500 event requirements, allowed her to edge past Swiatek by a narrow margin of just 41 points, taking her total to 9,706 in the WTA rankings.
This is not Sabalenka’s first time at the summit. She first ascended to world No. 1 on September 11, 2023. She held the top spot for eight weeks until November 6, 2023, when Swiatek reclaimed it. Now, Sabalenka has returned to the top for her second stint as No. 1, bringing her total weeks as the world’s best to nine.
Swiatek, on the other hand, has not played any tournaments since the US Open. The Polish star is going through significant changes within her team, most notably parting ways with her long-time coach Tomasz Wiktorowski and bringing on Wim Fissette. Swiatek’s absence from recent tournaments, coupled with Sabalenka’s consistent results, allowed the Belarusian to surpass her in the rankings.
Beyond their on-court performances, the WTA’s 2024 season requirement that players compete in at least six WTA 500 events this year has significantly influenced the current rankings. As Tennis.com explains, both Sabalenka and Swiatek failed to meet the required tournament quotas. However, Sabalenka dropped fewer points than Swiatek, allowing her to regain the No. 1 spot in the rankings.
This week, both Sabalenka and Swiatek had zero-pointers applied to their totals, with Swiatek dropping to 9,665 points and Sabalenka to 9,706. With neither player competing in the upcoming Tokyo WTA 500 tournament, another zero-pointer will be applied to both of their totals next week, further widening the gap between them.
The battle for the year-end world No. 1 is far from over, as both Sabalenka and Swiatek have a chance to end the season at the top.