During her run to the 2023 US Open final, Aryna Sabalenka secured her debut atop the WTA rankings—but her time as world No. 1 was cut short when Iga Swiatek won the WTA Finals to reclaim the position.
This year, behind her Grand Slam titles at the US Open and Australian Open, Sabalenka soared back to No. 1 in October. Her standing was once again under threat from Swiatek at the season finale, but this time the 26-year-old has held off her rival to secure year-end No. 1 honors.
Sabalenka's perfect 2-0 start in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, meant Swiatek needed to run the table to have a chance to snatch back the top spot. The Pole's defeat to Coco Gauff on Tuesday ended her challenge.
Entering the WTA Finals more than 1,000 points ahead of Swiatek, Sabalenka was in pole position for No. 1 on the heels of her dominant season that included four titles and a 56-12 record to date. Now, after the two have been neck-and-neck atop of the rankings for much of the past two years, Sabalenka is eager to create some separation.
"I also want to get as many points away from her as possible," she said before joking about their ongoing battle. "Just so it's not like five points difference and you feel like, 'OK, can we just share the No. 1 spot?'"
Already guaranteed a place in the Riyadh semifinals, Sabalenka could end the season with 10,516 points if she wins her maiden WTA Finals crown as an undefeated champion at 5-0. Swiatek's maximum final tally is 9,270 points. At 1-1 in group play, the Pole needs help to make the semifinals: She must beat Jessica Pegula in her final round-robin match, and Gauff (who has already clinched a semifinal berth) must beat Barbora Krejcikova.
In addition to her sweep of the hard-court majors this year—a feat matched by ATP year-end No. 1 Jannik Sinner—Sabalenka also won hard-court WTA 1000 titles in Cincinnati and Wuhan. Showcasing her versatility, she reached two more WTA 1000 finals on clay, losing to Swiatek in Madrid and Rome. The defeat in the Spanish capital came by the slimmest or margins, 9-7 in a third-set tiebreak.
The WTA's year-end doubles No. 1 honors were claimed this week by Katerina Siniakova, who also ended the season in the top spot in 2018, 2021 and 2022. Siniakova and her American teammate Taylor Townsend have clinched their place in the Riyadh semifinals with a 2-0 start.
Siniakova won Roland Garros with Gauff and Wimbledon with Townsend this season, and also reached the semis in Melbourne (with Storm Hunter) and New York (with Townsend). The 28-year-old claimed five titles on the year and has posted a 46-10 doubles record to date.
