It may be the shortest month of the year, but February is among the busiest months in the tennis calendar with a jam-packed schedule.
At least six tour-level women's tournaments will be played throughout February, making it a frantic month full of action and storylines. For two WTA stars, this could be a pivotal month to determine the fate of the World No. 1 ranking.
Aryna Sabalenka completed a successful title at the 2024 Australian Open by beating Qinwen Zheng in the final. The powerful Belarusian was unstoppable in her quest to land her second Grand Slam and did so with pose and dominance, not relinquishing a single set during the fortnight.
Sabalenka won't improve her ranking now that the tournament is over, but she has a strong chance of reclaiming the No. 1 ranking from Iga Swiatek by the end of February, as the world's top two will be on level points of 8,715.
The five-week forecast factors all those points that will come off within that particular period from the past year. What this means is that the player who will accumulate the most points during the Middle East swing will be the World No. 1.
Swiatek and Sabalenka will play the WTA 1000 doubleheader of Doha and Dubai. The Polish star will lead both events as the top seed. Also to note, the Qatar Open and the Dubai Championships have been elevated in status and will be standalone WTA 1000-level tournaments in 2024.
So, a maximum of 2,000 ranking points will be up for grabs, including the World No. 1 ranking. Only Swiatek and Sabalenka can swap the top two places, which means Coco Gauff's bid to become No. 1 will have to wait for now.
However, the young American can continue to rack up the points column as she doesn't defend much between now and the end of May. Gauff looks almost certain to keep her top-three ranking intact in the first half of the season.
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