Swiatek Extends Lead In Olympics Race Despite Dubai Disappointment

Iga Swiatek fell to a shock defeat in the Dubai semifinal this past week, but it was still a very productive fortnight for her during the Middle East swing.

Firstly, Swiatek bagged her first title of the season in Doha. It was her third straight title in Qatar's capital and the first woman since Serena Williams in 2015 to three-peat in a WTA tournament.

And backing that success with a semifinal finish in her next tournament while barely getting any rest time is a decent achievement. Swiatek has already drawn out the positives from her stay in the Gulf despite enraging fans with her comments in the aftermath of her loss to Anna Kalinskaya.

Moreover, she was able to increase her lead in the Olympics Race. Having replaced Coco Gauff at the top following her Doha title win, the 22-year-old has now tallied 6,380 points since June 2023, when this race was incepted.

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Aryna Sabalenka is down in third after a poor return in her first tournament since winning the 2024 Australian Open. Jessica Pegula hasn't played since departing Melbourne but maintained her position as the fourth-best player in the race.

But Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina is only 43 points behind the American. Marketa Vondrousova is expected to be the Czech Republic's top-ranked player and is currently sixth in the race. Qinwen Zheng is seventh but has already qualified for the 2024 Olympics courtesy of winning a gold medal at the 2023 Asian Games.

Ons Jabeur will carry African hopes. She is eighth in the race, but doubts remain about the severity of her knee injury. Jelena Ostapenko and Maria Sakkari round up the Top 10. Jasmine Paolini is Italy's top-ranked woman, occupying the 12th spot after capturing her maiden WTA 1000 title in Dubai.

The Olympics Race will run for 52 weeks, ending on June 10th, 2024, where the Top 56 players will get an automatic spot into the tennis tournament that will be played at Stade Roland Garros.

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2024 Women's Olympics Race as of February 26, 2024: