Neither Iga Swiatek nor Aryna Sabalenka competed last week, but due to some reshuffling of the WTA rankings based on WTA 500 event commitments, there’s a significant change at the top.
Sabalenka has reclaimed the No. 1 spot, pushing Swiatek down to No. 2.
According to the WTA, players must compete in six WTA 500 events this year, with penalties in the form of zero-pointers for any missed events. With only one WTA 500 event remaining on the calendar—this week’s tournament in Tokyo—the impact is becoming clear for both Swiatek and Sabalenka.
Swiatek has played in two WTA 500 events this year: the United Cup (which counts as WTA 500, where she earned 500 points) and Stuttgart (where she reached the semifinals).
Sabalenka has participated in four WTA 500 events: Brisbane (finalist), Stuttgart (quarterfinalist), Berlin (quarterfinalist), and Washington D.C. (semifinalist).
This week, with zero-pointers factored into their rankings, Swiatek’s points drop from 9,785 to 9,665, while Sabalenka’s slightly decrease from 9,716 to 9,706, allowing Sabalenka to overtake her as No. 1.
Both players will see additional point deductions next week after Tokyo, since neither are participating, with Sabalenka’s total dropping to 9,641 and Swiatek’s to 9,470.
Following that, their points from the 2023 WTA Finals will come off ahead of the 2024 WTA Finals, creating a wider gap between them (Sabalenka will fall to 9,016, and Swiatek to 7,970).
Further down the rankings, two players make their Top 100 debuts. Canada’s Gabriel Diallo jumps from No. 118 to No. 87 on the ATP rankings after reaching his first career ATP final in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Standing 6’8”, Diallo now shares the title of tallest player in the Top 100 with France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, who is ranked No. 50 this week.
On the WTA side, Suzan Lamens of the Netherlands debuts in the Top 100, climbing from No. 125 to No. 88 after winning her first WTA title in Osaka, Japan. Entering as a qualifier, she had never reached the quarterfinals of a WTA event before her run to the WTA 250 title.
There’s also a heartwarming return to the Top 100 for France’s Lucas Pouille. Rising from No. 101 to No. 96 after reaching a Challenger final in St. Brieuc, Pouille, once ranked No. 10 in the world, has battled back from a lengthy injury layoff and off-court challenges. He had dropped to as low as No. 678 last year, but now the 2019 Australian Open semifinalist is back among the elite.
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