Sabalenka Moves Iga Swiatek From World Rank 1

JAKARTA US Open 2024 Champion, Aryna Sabalenka, moved up to first place in the latest WTA rankings to replace Iga Swiatek who led for 11 months.

The Belarusian tennis player who also defended the Australian Open title in January 2024 topped the rankings for the second time after holding for eight weeks between September and November 2023.

"Yes, the ranking is very tight at this time. I'm very happy to see it," said Sabalenka, as quoted from the official website of the WTA.

Reporting from BBC Sport, Swiatek from Poland dropped to second after being awarded a points penalty for failing to compete in six mandatory WTA 500 events.

The 23-year-old, who appointed a new coach earlier this month, has not played since the US Open in September 2024. He decided to skip the Asian tour due to exhaustion.

Swiatek has actually led the rankings with more than 4,000 points after winning five titles in the first six months of the season.

However, 26-year-old Sabalenka slowly began to overtake him in the second half of this year.

Sabalenka mencapai prestasi ini setelah tercatat memenangi gelar di Cincinnati dan Wuhan serta kemenangan penting di Flushing Meadows.

The next chance for Swiatek to return to number one is the WTA Finals closing next season in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.