Ever since Iga Swiatek lost her lead in the WTA ranking after she unexpectedly lost prematurely at the US Open, fans have been wondering whether the Pole will return to the top. Although Swiatek herself admitted that regaining her leadership position is not a priority for her, her recent form gives her a real chance to do so.
Iga Swiatek won her fifth title of the season on Sunday. This significantly improved her ranking situation in the context of the points loss to Aryna Sabalenka, who took the lead as a result of Swiatek’s premature defeat in the 2023 US Open.
Before the tournament in Beijing started, Iga Swiatek was 1,071 points behind Aryna Sabalenka. However, Sabalenka was eliminated from the China Open at the quarter-final stage. Swiatek, on the other hand, had not played in this tournament before, so each win on these courts gave her new ranking points. Thanks to the win in Beijing, which gave Swiatek 1,000 points, and Sabalenka’s premature loss, the Pole is only 590 points behind Sabalenka in the ranking. The Pole can make up for such a loss and return to the lead in the ranking if she plays well in the final tournament of the season at the WTA Finals in Cancun, Mexico.
In the WTA Finals in Canun, you can earn 1,500 points if you win all matches. Last season, Sabalenka reached the final of this competition, defeating the Pole in the semi-final. The Pole has a chance to take the lead in the WTA ranking at the end of the season if she defends last year’s points in this year’s WTA Finals and goes further in the tournament than Sabalenka.
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