WTA Race Update: Swiatek Keeps Lead Intact After Qualifying For WTA Finals

Iga Swiatek is still the WTA race leader as the second half of the season gets underway with grass-court action in Europe.

The Pole added 2000 points to her tally after winning Roland Garros for the fourth time in five seasons. She now has a total of 7335 points, built by winning four WTA 1000s in the first half of the season.

Swiatek has topped the WTA year-end race in each of the last two years and looks set to do so for a third time in 2024. Unless one of Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka, and Elena Rybakina can stay consistent for the remaining five months of the regular season.

Sabalenka (4358 points) and Rybakina (4013 points) are currently the two women who are near the race leader. Gauff (3163 points) is ahead of Jasmine Paolini and fellow American Danielle Collins with a narrow lead.

Australian Open runner-up Qinwen Zheng and former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko occupy the final two spots in the top eight. The race is critical in determining the world's top eight who will battle for the 2024 WTA Finals.

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Swiatek is the only woman who has qualified so far. This year, the WTA's flagship year-end tournament will have a new home after it was announced that the Saudi Arabian city of Riyadh will host the event until 2026. The race will also crown the WTA's year-end World No. 1.

Some of the players who are currently outside the top eight include Marta Kostyuk (9th) and Emma Navarro (10th). They have enjoyed a breakthrough season that could culminate in a Top 10 place in the WTA rankings at the end of the season.

Russian prodigy Mirra Andreeva is up to a high of 15th in the race. The 17-year-old became a Grand Slam semifinalist at the senior level at this year's Roland Garros.

Competition for places is high in the race, with less than 200 points separating Daria Kasatkina in 11th and Ekaterina Alexandrova in 20th spot. Katie Boulter, who won in Nottingham for a second time at the weekend, rose to 21st.

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2024 WTA Race as of June 17, 2024: