Follow usUS Open champion Aryna Sabalenka has reclaimed the No. 1 spot in the latest WTA rankings, ending Iga Świątek’s 11-month reign at the top. Belarusian Sabalenka, who also retained her Australian Open title earlier in the year, has risen to the summit for the second time after an earlier eight-week stint between September and November 2023.
Aryna Sabalenka snaps Iga Swiatek’s 50 week streak as World No. 1 💪 pic.twitter.com/X2btCd5SO5
— TENNIS (@Tennis) October 21, 2024
Despite neither player competing last week, Świątek dropped to second due to a points penalty for failing to participate in the mandatory six WTA 500 events. The Polish player, 23, had only competed in two of these tournaments and has not played since her loss at the US Open in September. She opted to skip the Asian swing of the tour due to fatigue. Świątek’s absence from key events has affected her ranking, despite her commanding lead earlier in the year when she won five titles in the first six months and led by more than 4,000 points.
Meanwhile, Sabalenka, 26, gained momentum in the latter half of the season, with notable victories in Cincinnati and Wuhan, in addition to her US Open triumph, enabling her to surpass Świątek. The next opportunity for Świątek to reclaim the top spot will be at the season-ending WTA Finals, set to take place next month in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
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