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

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

by Nurein Ahmed

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.

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.

2024 WTA Race as of May 20, 2024:

Rank Player Points
1 Iga Swiatek 5335
2 Aryna Sabalenka 3928
3 Elena Rybakina 3583
4 Danielle Collins 2532
5 Coco Gauff 2383
6 Qinwen Zheng 2070
7 Jelena Ostapenko 1889
8 Jasmine Paolini 1710
9 Marta Kostyuk 1695
10 Maria Sakkari 1591
11 Daria Kasatkina 1543
12 Anna Kalinskaya 1510
13 Victoria Azarenka 1503
14 Emma Navarro 1436
15 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 1252
16 Dayana Yastremska 1181
17 Ekaterina Alexandrova 1083
18 Linda Noskova 1035
19 Katie Boulter 922
20 Jessica Pegula 915
21 Sorana Cirstea 891
22 Karolina Pliskova 881
23 Beatriz Haddad Maia 852
24 Elise Mertens 849
25 Madison Keys 791
26 Elina Svitolina 788
27 Yulia Putintseva 775
28 Anastasia Potapova 766
29 Marketa Vondrousova 755
30 Caroline Garcia 754
31 Sloane Stephens 754
32 Yue Yuan 751
33 Diana Shnaider 668
34 Mirra Andreeva 647
35 Katerina Siniakova 646
36 Moyuka Uchijima 637
37 Anhelina Kalinina 608
38 Donna Vekic 574
39 Magdalena Frech 564
40 Barbora Krejcikova 550
41 Naomi Osaka 544
42 Magda Linette 520
43 Katie Volynets 518
44 Elisabetta Cocciaretto 518
45 Leylah Fernandez 517
46 Oceane Dodin 509
47 Jaqueline Cristian 500
48 Ons Jabeur 494
49 Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 486
50 Daria Saville 483

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