Iga Swiatek continued to dominate the No. 1 spot on the WTA Tour in the latest rankings, but Maria Sakkari's ranking took a substantial hit.
Swiatek's consistency at the top of the women's game has been incredible for over two years. She first earned the No. 1 ranking in April 2022 during her exceptional winning run of 37 matches during that year.
The Pole has been No. 1 almost constantly since then. The only period when she fell to No. 2 was after last year's US Open, but she reclaimed the mantle after winning the 2023 WTA Finals in Cancun.
Last week, Swiatek equaled Ash Barty's number of weeks at No. 1. That means the four-time French Open is ahead of the Australian on that list this week, a fantastic achievement for someone still 23 years old.
Swiatek not competing last week means her ranking points remain unchanged at 10,885. That gives her a lead of over 2000 points to Aryna Sabalenka, who sits at No. 2 with 8,716 points.
Although that lead looks commanding initially, it could be significantly reduced after the upcoming China Open in Beijing. Swiatek withdrew from the tournament due to personal issues, one of many players to pull out of the event.
Elena Rybakina also withdrew from the China Open, giving Sabalenka an ideal chance to win the title and secure 1,000 more points. Swiatek is guaranteed to lose some points after the event in Beijing after pulling out.
The Pole could be in even greater trouble if she does not play at the subsequent Wuhan Open. If Swiatek does not compete, she could fall behind Sabalenka after losing 1,000 points for her last year's win in Beijing.
If Swiatek cannot play at the Wuhan Open, Sabalenka would have an opportunity to become world No. 1. Securing enough points in the China Open and the Wuhan Open would be enough to reclaim the mantle for the first time in nearly a year.
Maria Sakkari's ranking significantly dropped in the latest WTA rankings. The Greek No. 1 fell from No. 9 to 17, ending her consistent and lengthy spell in the Top 10.
Sakkari fell because she lost the points she was defending from her run to the title of the Guadalajara Open last year. A shoulder injury forced her to withdraw from this year's event in Guadalajara and from the Seoul Open.
The 2022 WTA Finals champion Caroline Garcia's ranking also took a hit, falling from 29 to 36. She was a semifinalist in Guadalajara last year, and losing those points has hurt her.
However, Sakkari and Garcia's situations pale in comparison to Caroline Dolehide. Last year's Guadalajara Open runner-up dramatically fell 53 places from No. 45 to 98. She will try to keep her ranking in the Top 100 before the season ends.
Rebecca Sramkova's ranking rose the most, going from No. 102 to 61 after her run to the title of the Thailand Open in Hua Hin. She also reached the final of the Tunisia Open the previous week.
Beatriz Haddad Maia jumped from No. 17 to No. 12 after winning the Korea Open. The runner-up in Seoul, Daria Kasatkina, is No. 11, two places higher than last week's rankings.