WTA Race Update: Sabalenka & Zheng Occupy Top Two Spots After First Major Of 2024

WTA
Tuesday, 30 January 2024 at 01:00
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Aryna Sabalenka has taken control of the WTA Race after successfully defending her Australian Open title last Saturday.

The Belarusian star received the full 2,000 points on offer to add to her 325 points for her runner-up finish at the Brisbane International in the first week of the season. Sabalenka defeated China's Qinwen Zheng in the final and completed a perfect fortnight without dropping a set.

Sabalenka is now in the ascendancy. Last year, she led World No. 1 Iga Swiatek in 43 of the 44 weeks on the women's calendar, but remarkably, she finished in second place behind the Pole. The 25-year-old will hope that scenario won't materialize this time.

Thanks to the new WTA rules on qualification criteria for the WTA Finals, Sabalenka is all but certain to play the season finale, with reports suggesting it will be held in Saudi Arabia for the first time ever.

Zheng, who came up short in her first Grand Slam final, is in second place in the early race, having tallied 1,375 points. She ranks ahead of Coco Gauff, who won a title in Auckland at the start of 2024 and was a semifinalist at the Australian Open.

Dayana Yastremska's magical run in Melbourne has earned her a spot in the top four of the race. The Ukrainian became the first qualifier to reach the Australian Open semifinal since 1978 and was within a pair of wins from emulating Emma Raducanu's incredible streak at the 2021 US Open.

Elena Rybakina and Jelena Ostapenko were tied in the top spot before the Australian Open, but both have fallen down the pecking order after disappointing campaigns in Melbourne. Rybakina was knocked out in the second round by Anna Blinkova, while Ostapenko only made it to the third round.

Iga Swiatek, who topped last year's race, is down in seventh spot ahead of her Australian Open conqueror Linda Noskova. The WTA Race is starting to have its original shape, and many changes will be expected in the coming weeks as frantic February hoves into view.

2024 WTA Race as of January 29th, 2024:

RankPlayerPoints
1Aryna Sabalenka2325
2Qinwen Zheng1375
3Coco Gauff1030
4Dayana Yastremska845
5Jelena Ostapenko738
6Elena Rybakina678
7Iga Swiatek630
8Linda Noskova625
9Marta Kostyuk570
10Anna Kalinskaya547
11Daria Kasatkina503
12Emma Navarro478
13Victoria Azarenka435
14Barbora Krejcikova431
15Elina Svitolina403
16Mirra Andreeva348
17Jessica Pegula300
18Elise Mertens293
19Magdalena Frech289
20Maria Timofeeva286
21Jasmine Paolini276
22Amanda Anisimova270
23Oceane Dodin267
24Caroline Garcia225
25Ekaterina Alexandrova206
26Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova204
27Clara Burel191
28Katie Boulter185
29Diane Parry184
30Laura Siegemund178
31Anastasia Zakharova174
32Storm Hunter170
33Beatriz Haddad Maia166
34Sloane Stephens163
35Elina Avanesyan161
36Lesia Tsurenko160
37Maria Sakkari160
38Brenda Fruhvirtova158
39Katerina Siniakova156
40Yue Yuan156
41Varvara Gracheva154
42Moyuka Uchijima151
43Viktorija Golubic149
44Yafan Wang146
45Daria Saville140
46Arantxa Rus139
47Viktoriya Tomova137
48Nuria Parrizas Diaz136
49Anna Blinkova132
50Paula Badosa131
50Alycia Parks131
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