Iga Swiatek’s Supreme Reign Comes Crashing Down as Aryna Sabalenka Seizes Control in WTA Tour’s Live Rankings

Iga Swiatek‘s loss is Aryna Sabalenka’s gain in the genuine sense. At least, that’s been the case since the US Open, where the World No. 1 faced defeat in the quarterfinals while the Belarusian won her third Grand Slam. Considering Swiatek hasn’t featured on the tour since then, the tennis world hasn’t seen a Part 4 to their thrilling rivalry this season. But as the season-ending tournament gets ever closer, the anticipation for a fourth WTA Finals meeting is palpable. And no one’s more excited than Sabalenka.

“Having this rivalry with Iga is something big in tennis and something much-needed in women’s tennis,” Sabalenka said after her first-round victory over Katarina Siniakova at the Wuhan Open. Notably, Swiatek withdrew from the Asian Swing in the build-up to the WTA Finals, and last week, she announced that she ended her three-year partnership with coach Tomasz Wiktorowski. She may have won six titles this year compared to Sabalenka’s three, but staying away from the tour for the past month hasn’t worked in Swiatek’s favor.

Courtesy of her strong start to 2024, Iga Swiatek had a stronghold on the WTA Race to Riyadh throughout the year. That is, until now. With the World No. 1 focusing on regaining her lost form, Aryna Sabalenka has been slowly cutting into Swiatek’s lead in the Live Race to the Finals, like a tigress stalking her prey. After all, consistency has been the name of the game for her.

Following her triumph in Flushing Meadows, the Belarusian reached the quarterfinals at the China Open, losing to eventual finalist Karolina Muchova in three sets. That result brought her within touching distance of Swiatek in the Race to Riyadh. And after defeating Siniakova (6-4, 6-4) in Wuhan, Sabalenka backed that win up with another one over Yulia Putintseva (1-6, 6-4, 6-0). That Round of 16 victory added 215 points to her tally, effectively making her the leader in the Race.

Now that she’s in the quarterfinals, the 26-year-old sits at 8306 points, 21 ahead of Swiatek. But why is this important? Well, the seeds for the WTA Finals are decided based on this Live Race to Riyadh. As things stand, Sabalenka will be the No. 1 seed. This just means that if the top-four seeds reach the semifinals in the Finals, Sabalenka will face the No. 4 seed in the final four. That’s to say that the No. 1 seed has the easiest route to the title, at least on paper.