Sabalenka replaces Swiatek as world number one
Aryna Sabalenka celebrating after winning her third-round match at the Wuhan Open
US Open champion Aryna Sabalenka has risen to number one in the latest WTA rankings, ending Iga Swiatek’s 11-month stay at the summit.
Belarusian Sabalenka, who also retained her Australian Open title in January, tops the rankings for the second time after an eight-week stay between September and November 2023.
Neither player was in action last week but Poland’s Swiatek drops to second after being given a points penalty for failing to compete in the mandatory six WTA 500 events.
The 23-year-old – who appointed a new coach earlier this month – has only competed in two of the tournaments and has not played since the US Open in September, after deciding to miss the tour’s Asian swing because of fatigue.
She had led the rankings by more than 4,000 points at one stage after winning five titles in the first six months of the season.
But Sabalenka, 26, slowly reeled her in the second half of the year, winning titles in Cincinnati and Wuhan to go with her triumph at Flushing Meadows.
The next chance for Swiatek to return to number one is the season-ending WTA Finals next month in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
