Sabalenka Almost Erases Swiatek's Massive Lead In Latest WTA Race Update

Iga Swiatek might still be the leader in the 2024 WTA Race to Riyadh, but her lead to second Aryna Sabalenka became almost non-existent after the 2024 US Open.

The two highest-ranked players on the WTA Tour are currently fighting for the year-end No. 1 spot, and there isn't a real chance that someone else would join them in the conversation.

Prior to the last major tournament of the season, it seemed that Swiatek had a big enough lead to not let the fight happen at all, but Sabalenka's dominant win at the US Open meant that the Polish player would have to show her best tennis in the last weeks of the season if she wants to finish the year as the highest-ranked player once again.

At the moment, Swiatek still leads the 2024 WTA Race to Riyadh, where the 2024 WTA Finals will take place, with 8,285 points to her name, but her lead to second place was almost completely erased.

Thanks to earning 2,000 points for her victory at Flushing Meadows, Sabalenka managed to increase her points total to 7,876, coming only 409 points behind her main rival.

Behind the two is Elena Rybakina, who looked like a contender for the World No. 1 spot early in the season, but an unprecedented number of withdrawals from various tournaments significantly hampered her chances, as she currently has 'only' 4,981 points to her name as the third player in the 2024 WTA Race.

Behind these three players is arguably the best Grand Slam performer without a title to show for it in 2024, Jasmine Paolini. The Italian player reached back-to-back Roland Garros and Wimbledon finals and also thanks to those runs she currently has 4,865 points in the 2024 WTA Race.

Jessica Pegula struggled a bit with points during this season, but her run into the US Open final changed that as she's now the fifth most successful woman in this metric this season, having earned a total of 4,466 points.

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She leads a block of American players, who are hoping to travel to Riyadh in big numbers. All spots from fifth to eighth in the 2024 WTA Race are occupied by American players.

Behind Pegula is her former doubles partner, Coco Gauff, who earned 3,968 points during the 2024 season. Emma Navarro would also want to qualify for her maiden WTA Finals, and she's currently seventh with 3,568 points.

And what a way it would be for Danielle Collins to end her professional playing career by participating in the WTA Finals. She's currently eighth in the race with 3,178 points.

As always, the WTA Race is incredibly tight, especially at the lower ranks. The full ranking for the 2024 WTA Race, as of the latest update, September 9th, 2024, can be seen below.

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2024 WTA Race to Riyadh as of September 9, 2024: