Aryna Sabalenka had a hilarious reaction after dethroning Iga Swiatek at the top of the WTA ranking. The Belarusian became the World No. 1 for the second time in her career amid the Pole’s long absence from the tour.
Iga Swiatek led Aryna Sabalenka by 4,224 points on the WTA ranking after the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. However, the latter has turned the table over the last three months, with titles at the WTA 1000 tournaments in Cincinnati and Wuhan, and triumphed at the US Open. Meanwhile, Swiatek completely skipped the Asian swing.
Sabalenka nullified the lead and supplanted Swiatek after the duo was handed a point penalty for not fulfilling the required participating quota at WTA 500 tournaments. After the deduction, the Belarusian led the Pole by 9,706 to 9,665 points and took the World No. 1 ranking on October 21.
This is Aryna Sabalenka’s second stint as the World No. 1 after holding the spot for eight weeks in September and October 2023 following a runners-up finish at the US Open last year. The 26-year-old was pleased to take the World No. 1 ranking and joked about how long she could hold on to the position.
“N1…. Let’s see for how long this time 🙌🤞❤️,” Sabalenka tweeted.
Swiatek played only two WTA 500 events, while Sabalenka featured in four. As a result, the lowest points gained at a tournament this year (Swiatek’s 120 from the Miami Open and Sabalenka’s 10 from the Dubai Tennis Championships) were deducted.
Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek to battle it out for year-end World No. 1 at WTA Finals 2024
Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek are next set to play at the 2024 WTA Finals, where, in addition to the title, both women will compete for the year-end World No. 1 ranking. Sabalenka will be the top seed at the tournament in Riyadh, with 9,016 points, and Swiatek will be second with 7,970 points.
The Pole is defending 1,500 points at the year-end championships this year as the reigning champion. Swiatek has won five titles this year (Qatar Open, Indian Wells Open, Madrid Open, Italian Open, and Roland Garros) but has not played tennis since quarterfinal exit at the US Open in September.
Meanwhile, Aryna Sabalenka has taken home four titles in 2024 (Australian Open, Cincinnati Open, US Open, and Wuhan Open). The Belarusian could end as the year-end World No. 1 for the first time in her career if she wins two group-stage matches at the 2024 WTA Finals.
