Aryna Sabalenka's two Grand Slam titles this year now equal the world No. 1 ranking for the 26-year-old star.
The reigning US Open and Australian Open champion moved ahead of Roland Garros titlist Iga Swiatek on Monday to reclaim the WTA's top spot, 13 months after Sabalenka first rose to the summit immediately following her run to the 2023 US Open final. Last fall, Sabalenka held onto the position for eight weeks before Swiatek snatched it back with her title at the WTA Finals in November.
With just 41 points separating the WTA's two leading ladies in this week's rankings, the No. 1 spot will again be on the line at this year's season finale in Saudi Arabia. Americans Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula are ranked third and fourth, respectively, but are not within striking distance of No. 1 this season.
Sabalenka has posted a 20-1 record since mid-August, winning WTA 1000 titles in Cincinnati and Wuhan in addition to her maiden US Open triumph. She also reached the quarterfinals at the Beijing WTA 1000, while Swiatek—who just announced a new partnership with Naomi Osaka's former coach Wim Fissette—has been absent from the WTA Tour's Asian swing due to fatigue. Swiatek has not competed since her defeat to Pegula in the US Open quarterfinals.
In Sabalenka's most recent outing earlier this month, she beat Gauff and Zheng Qinwen, both in three sets, to claim the Wuhan crown as the top seed. Across her titles runs this summer in Cincinnati and New York, Sabalenka dropped just one set in 12 victories.
