WTA Race Update: Unstoppable Swiatek Firmly In Control After Rome Title Win

With the WTA season reaching its halfway mark, Iga Swiatek continues her unstoppable march for the year-end world No. 1 trophy.

Swiatek has surpassed a 1000-point advantage over second-placed Aryna Sabalenka, whom she outclassed in the Italian Open final. The Pole added 1000 points in the Race to Riyadh and now owns 5335 points.

Sabalenka replaced Elena Rybakina in second place after the Kazakh missed her title defense in Rome because of illness. The 2022 Wimbledon champion dropped to third place with the same points total as after Madrid (3583).

Danielle Collins is in third spot ahead of compatriot Coco Gauff. The 30-year-old American has never qualified for the WTA Finals in her career but is in a prime position to do so in her final season as a professional after reaching the semifinal at the Italian Open.

Qinwen Zheng, Jasmine Paolini and Jelena Ostapenko complete the Top 8 for now. This is the minimum entry cut-off for qualification at the 2024 WTA Finals, which will be held on Saudi Arabian soil for the first time.

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The WTA race will also determine the women's year-end World No. 1, a feat achieved by Swiatek in each of the last two seasons. Moving on, there is competition for places in the Top 10.

Daria Kasatkina, Anna Kalinskaya, and Victoria Azarenka are looking to make that push as they sit just outside it for now, behind Marta Kostyuk (9th) and Maria Sakkari (10th).

Emma Navarro and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova are in action in Strasbourg this week. They can earn a maximum of 500 points, which is enough to crack the Top 10.

Jessica Pegula is down in 19th place and is the fourth best-performing American woman in 2024. Last year's WTA Finals runner-up has featured in fewer tournaments than her peers because of multiple injuries and is expected to miss the 2024 French Open.

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2024 WTA Race as of May 20, 2024: