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Aryna Sabalenka Extends Lead Over Iga Swiatek in WTA Rankings

Aryna Sabalenka continues to distance herself from Iga Swiatek in the WTA rankings.
Pat Benson|
Sept 7, 2024; Flushing, NY, USA Aryna Sabalenka with the US Open Trophy after beating Jessica Pegula (USA) in the women's singles final on day thirteen of the 2024 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images
Sept 7, 2024; Flushing, NY, USA Aryna Sabalenka with the US Open Trophy after beating Jessica Pegula (USA) in the women's singles final on day thirteen of the 2024 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images | Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

Despite not playing over the past two weeks, Aryna Sabalenka extended her lead over Iga Swiatek for the top spot in the WTA rankings. The last time Sabalenka took the court, she defeated Qinwen Zheng in the Wuhan Open.

On the other hand, Iga Swiatek skipped the entire Asian swing of the WTA tour. Swiatek has not played since her early exit from the US Open at the hands of Jessica Pegula. She has since abruptly fired Tomasz Wiktorowski as her coach and and hired Naomi Osaka's ex-coach Wim Fissette.

So far this season, Sabalenka has a record of 54-12 with four singles titles. Swiatek has a record of 54-7 with five singles titles.

So why the change at the top of the leaderboard? The points from the 2023 WTA Finals have dropped off the rankings this week. Sabalenka dropped from 9,706 points to 9,016.

Meanwhile, Swiatek plummeted from 9,665 points to 7,970. It is not an insurmountable deficit, but Swiatek has her work cut out for the next month.

Most of the top ten rankings remained steady, with the exception of Pegula and Jasmine Paolini. Pegula slid two spots, and Paolini hit a career-high ranking of World No. 4. She ties Francesca Schiavone as the highest-ranked Italian woman in tennis history.

The field for next month's WTA Finals has already been set, and the highest-ranked players will get one last chance to shake up the rankings before the end of the year. Tennis fans can follow Sports Illustrated's Serve on SI for all the most important news from the sport.

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Pat Benson
PAT BENSON

Pat Benson covers professional tennis for Serve on Sports Illustrated, reporting on ATP and WTA events worldwide. From Challenger tournaments to Grand Slams, he brings readers in-depth coverage, daily recaps, and exclusive interviews with some of the biggest names in the sport. With a decade of experience in sports journalism, Pat is recognized as a trusted voice in tennis media. You can contact him at 1989patbenson@gmail.com.

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