Swiatek Extends Lead In Olympics Race With Madrid Win As Rivals Play Catch Up

Iga Swiatek continued to strengthen her lead in the Olympics Race and could virtually seal top seeding by the end of the Italian Open.

The Olympics Race to Paris came into effect in June 2023 and will close on June 9th, 2024. It will determine the Top 56 women who will qualify for the Olympics tennis tournament.

Swiatek has compiled the most points within that window so far, with 8695. She won her third WTA 1000 title of the season at the Madrid Open by beating Aryna Sabalenka in a thrilling final.

The Pole has nearly a 2000-point lead over second-placed Coco Gauff, who has yet to hit her stride. The American has 6818 points, maintaining a narrow advantage over Sabalenka.

Elena Rybakina looks certain to attain a top four spot for the Games because Jessica Pegula is unlikely to rack up sufficient points by Roland Garros, especially as she is far from certain to feature at the clay Slam.

Marketa Vondrousova will likely be Czech Rebuplic's No. 1 player in sixth place. The Wimbledon champion won a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Maria Sakkari, Ons Jabeur, and Jelena Ostapenko look set to join the already-qualified Qinwen Zheng, who won the Asian Games in 2023.

Danielle Collins, Madison Keys, Emma Navarro, and Sloane Stephens are in competition to join Gauff and Pegula, who will be favorites to take up two spots in the draw for the USA.

One nation can only be represented by four of its top-ranked players. So, the Italian Open and Roland Garros could decide the fate of these players, who are all hopeful of playing at the Olympics.

Marta Kostyuk, Beatriz Haddad Maia, and Caroline Garcia all feature in the Top 20 and are the No. 1 players of their respective countries. Katie Boulter, the sole WTA player in the Top 56, will likely carry British hopes.