Results at the 2024 China Open led to some interesting developments in the WTA Rankings, but the No. 1 spot remained unchanged.
Coco Gauff won her second WTA 1000 title in Beijing by overcoming Karolina Muchova 6-1, 6-3 in the final. It was unquestionably the American's best performance of the season. Aside from a blip at the start of the second set, she was flawless.
There were many other intriguing storylines during the tournament. Muchova reaching the final of the China Open just a few months after returning from nine months out with a severe injury was an outstanding effort.
Shuai Zhang's run to the quarterfinal of her home tournament was one of the most unexpected moments of the season. She had been on an unprecedented 24-match losing streak before the event but dramatically changed her fortunes, including a victory against Emma Navarro.
There was also an opportunity for Aryna Sabalenka to move closer to Iga Swiatek in the race to finish as the year-end No. 1. The three-time Grand Slam champion narrowed the gap but is undoubtedly still frustrated with her quarterfinal loss to Muchova.
Swiatek has 9785 points, more than 1000 more than Sabalenka's 8716. However, that lead is not as commanding as it might initially seem since the Pole withdrew from the ongoing Wuhan Open.
Swiatek is guaranteed to lose her points from winning last year's WTA Finals the week after the Wuhan Open ends without gaining any additional points at the final WTA 1000 tournament of the season in Wuhan.
As a result, Sabalenka only needs to reach the quarterfinal of the Wuhan Open to become the world No. 1. But both players will get another opportunity to finish the year at the top of the rankings at the 2024 WTA Finals regardless of what happens in Wuhan.
Coco Gauff received a ranking boost after she won the China Open. She jumped from No. 6 to No. 4. The 20-year-old had been at No. 2 for much of the year but fell after dropping most of the points she secured during last year's North American hardcourt swing.
The 2023 US Open champion could finish the year as the world No. 3 and the American No. 1 if she betters her frequent doubles partner Jessica Pegula's results between now and the end of the season.
Muchova rose 19 places in the rankings from No. 49 to No. 30. The Czech getting back into the Top 30 after being injured for so long is an outstanding achievement, and it seems inevitable that trend will continue if she avoids injuries.
Naomi Osaka's tournament ended frustratingly when she had to retire after the second set against Gauff in the round of 16. However, that result was still enough for Osaka to climb 15 places from No. 73 to No. 58.
Zhang's rise in the rankings was the most significant by far. The China Open quarterfinalist leaped an incredible 344 places from No. 595 to No. 251. That is a reward for the 35-year-old's resilience during her 24-match losing streak.
Three players inside the Top 20 also reached a career-high ranking: Anna Kalinskaya at No. 13, Donna Vekic at No. 18, and Mirra Andreeva at No. 19. Andreeva also entered the Top 20 for the first time in her career. The full rankings can be checked on our WTA Rankings page and the new Top 10 can be seen below.
| Rank | Player | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iga Swiatek | 9785 |
| 2 | Aryna Sabalenka | 8716 |
| 3 | Jessica Pegula | 5945 |
| 4 | Coco Gauff | 5593 |
| 5 | Elena Rybakina | 5481 |
| 6 | Jasmine Paolini | 5293 |
| 7 | Qinwen Zheng | 4250 |
| 8 | Emma Navarro | 3698 |
| 9 | Danielle Collins | 3178 |
| 10 | Barbora Krejcikova | 3161 |