How Swiatek's World No.1 reign could finally end at the hands of Sabalenka at Wimbledon?

World No. 1 Iga Swiatek is almost uncatchable as she enters her 66th week at the top, but here is how Aryna Sabalenka could usurp her at Wimbledon.

As of Monday July 3, four-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek will have 9,050 ranking points, seemingly solidifying her reign at the top of the WTA world rankings. This comes after a successful year in which the 22-year-old claimed her third victory at the French Open and defended her title at the Stuttgart Open.

In the run-up to the SW19, this has put the Polish player in a strong position, as she cannot be caught at Wimbledon even by world No. 3 and defending champion at the grasscourt major, Elena Rybakina.

However, there is one player who could manage to end Swiatek's display of dominance at this tournament, the world no. 2 and 2023 Australian Open champion, Sabalenka.

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Although the chances of it may be somewhat slim, it is still possible for Sabalenka, who has 8,066 ranking points, to take Swiatek's spot and become world No. 1 for the first time in her career.

In order to do this, the 25-year-old Belarussian player would have to, at the very least, reach the Wimbledon final, where she would earn 1,300 points. If Sabalenka were to be defeated in the semi-final, this would not suffice to overtake Swiatek, even if she were to go out in the first round.

Ideally, Sabalenka would most likely want to consolidate her own reign at the top by taking home the trophy, which would not only earn her £2.35 million pounds in prize money, but also 2,000 points in the rankings.

Unfortunately for Sabalenka, both of these scenarios are also dependent on Swiatek not reaching the final herself, as this would earn her enough points to stay as No. 1 even if she were to finish the match in second place.

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This will be the first time since 2021 that players will be awarded ranking points at Wimbledon. The Grand Slam was stripped of this right for the 2022 tournament after banning Russian and Belarussian players as a consequence of the Russia-Ukraine war. This also means that it is two years since Sabalenka last played at the major, when she lost to Karolina Pliskova in the semi-final.

Swiatek will face China's Zhu Lin in the first round of Wimbledon on Monday, July 3 at 2 pm CET, whilst Sabalenka will face Hungarian Panna Udvardy on Tuesday, July 4 at 12 pm CET.

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