Aryna Sabalenka’s triumph at the Wuhan Open 2024 has put her on the brink of taking over the top spot of the WTA rankings. She beat Zheng Qinwen 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 to capture her third straight title at the venue and improve her career record there to 17-0.
Sabalenka now has 9,716 points, which leaves current No. 1 Iga Swiatek with a lead of 69 points. The latter has 9,785 points, and the fight for the year-end No. 1 ranking will be decided at the WTA Finals. Should the Belarusian win all three of her group stage matches, she’s assured of the top spot regardless of the Pole’s results.
Coco Gauff had a memorable Asian swing. She won the China Open and followed it up with a semifinal finish at the Wuhan Open. As a result, she moved up a spot to No. 3 in this week’s WTA rankings. Her rise pushed Jessica Pegula down a rung to No. 4.
Elena Rybakina remains a non-mover at No. 5 despite missing the season’s last two WTA 1000 tournaments. Jasmine Paolini is steady at No. 6 as well, though she could move up next week with a title at the ongoing Ningbo Open.
Zheng’s runner-up finish at the Wuhan Open didn’t impact her position in the WTA rankings, and she’s a non-mover at No. 7. Emma Navarro and Danielle Collins occupy their positions from the previous week at No. 8 and No. 9, respectively. Beatriz Haddad Maia returns to the top 10 as she jumped two spots to No. 10.
Anna Kalinskaya on the verge of making her debut in the top 10 of the WTA rankings
Kalinskaya’s strong season includes a runner-up finish at the Dubai Tennis Championships and a quarterfinal appearance at the Australian Open. She’s now on the cusp of cracking the top 10 of the WTA rankings for the first time in her career.
Kalinskaya moved up a spot to No. 12 in this week’s rankings. Should she lift the winner’s trophy at the Ningbo Open, she’s assured of a place in the top 10 next week. Magdalena Frech, who reached her maiden WTA 1000 quarterfinal at the Wuhan Open, rose three spots to a new career high of No. 24.
Hailey Baptiste, who made the third round in Wuhan as a qualifier, that too with a win over Krejcikova, is one of the biggest movers of the week. She jumped 22 positions to a new career peak of No. 80. Rebecca Sramkova (No. 52), Renata Zarazua (No. 71), and Olga Danilovic (No. 86) are the other players to secure new career highs this week.
To view this week’s WTA rankings, click here.
