How Aryna Sabalenka closed the gap on Iga Swiatek after Wimbledon 2024 to seal year-end World No. 1 spot
Aryna Sabalenka has secured the year-end World No. 1 spot for the first time in her career. She was confirmed to hold the ranking after Iga Swiatek's most recent loss at the 2024 WTA Finals.
Sabalenka took over the World No. 1 ranking from Swiatek on October 14 and was poised to hold the position at the end of the season. The Belarusian came a step closer to achieving the feat after winning her first two group stage contests at the WTA Finals, and the Pole's loss to Coco Gauff in her second group stage match ensured the same.
However, just three months ago its looked nearly impossible for Sabalenka to finish as the year-end World No. 1. She had withdrawn from the 2024 Wimbledon Championships, played in early July, due to a shoulder injury and had fallen to No. 4 in the rankings, behing Swiatek, Elena Rybakina, and Jasmine Paolini, with 4,466 points to her credit.
Aryna Sabalenka won three big titles after Wimbledon 2024 to overtake Iga Swiatek
Aryna Sabalenka decided against competing at the 2024 Paris Olympics to focus on the North American hard-court swing. The decision paid off as the Belarusian reached the semfinals at the WTA 500 Citi Open, the quarterfinals at the WTA 1000 Canadian Open, and picked up her second title of the year at WTA 1000 Cincinnati Open, earning 195, 215, and 1,000 ranking points, respectivelty.
She headed to the US Open as the second seed and dropped just one set en route to her third Grand Slam title and first in New York. Her win over Jessica Pegula in the 2024 US Open final earned Aryna Sabalenka 2,000 more ranking points. This was followed by a quarterfinal exit at the WTA 1000 China Open (215 pts). She then won her fourth title of the year at the WTA 1000 Wuhan Open (1,000 pts).
Meanwhile, Iga Swiatek struggled with form since her third round exit in London. After winning the bronze medal at Paris Olympics, the 23-year-old has not won a title and played in just two tournaments. She exited the Cincinnati Open in the semifinals (390 pts) and lost to Pegula in the US Open quarterfinals (430 pts).
In total, Aryna Sabalenka gained 4,625 points since the Wimbledon Championships in comparison to Swiatek's 820. Before the 2024 WTA Finals, Sabalenka had 9,016 points and Swiatek 7,970. Courtesy of winning her first two group stage matches, the Belarusian earned 400 points.
Meanwhile, the Pole got 200 points after beating Barbora Krejcikova in her first match but lost to Gauff in the second. Now even if Swiatek makes it out of the group stage and wins the tournament, the maximum points she can earn from the WTA Finals in 1,300, which will not be enough to eclipse Sabalenka's tally.
Before the 2024 Wimbledon Championships, Sabalenka's only tour-level success this year came at the Australian Open, where she successfully defended her title. In addition, the 26-year-old finished runners-up to Elena Rybakina at the WTA 500 Brisbane International and to Swiatek in the final of the WTA 1000 Madrid Open and Italian Open.