2023 WTA Finals: Can Iga Swiatek dethrone Aryna Sabalenka as World No. 1 at season-ending championship?

The 2023 WTA Finals will take place in Cancun, Mexico, from October 29 - November 5. While the Top 8 players of the season will battle it out for the prestigious title, Iga Swiatek will also be aiming to win an uphill battle to usurp Aryna Sabalenka as World No. 1 in the WTA Ranking.

Four-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek first became No. 1 following the shock retirement of Ashleigh Barty last year. After this, a dominant season in 2022 and a large amount of success this year saw her hold onto the position for 75 weeks, which is the tenth-longest amount of time in history.

However, after the 22-year-old failed to defend her title at the 2023 US Open, she lost the top spot to reigning Australian Open Sabalenka, who finished as runner-up to Coco Gauff at Flushing Meadows.

Nevertheless, there is still a chance that Swiatek can overtake Sabalenka at the WTA Finals and end the year as World No. 1 for the second time. The 25-year-old currently tops the WTA Ranking with 8,425 points, while Swiatek sits in second with 7,795 points, meaning that there is a 630-point gap between them.

The WTA Finals are slightly different than most tournaments on the Tour, with a round-robin format offering 125 points to all those who play in the groups, with an extra 125 going to the winners of each match at this stage. Those who win in the semi-final receive 330 points, while the overall winner will get 430 points.

This means that Sabalenka can secure her place as year-end No. 1 by winning the title with a 2-1 record in the round-robin phase. This is regardless of what Swiatek achieves at the tournament.

Therefore, Swiatek is reliant on a few different scenarios in order to re-gain the top spot. Firstly, if Sabalenka were 3-0 in the group stage, Swiatek would need to win the title, also with a 3-0 record in the round-robin phase.

Alternatively, if Sabalenka's group phase record is 2-1, Swiatek will need to win the title with a 3-0 or 2-1 record.

If Sabalenka has a 1-2 record in the group stage, Swiatek could overtake her by winning the title, and if Sabalenka were 0-3 in the round-robin phase, Swiatek would need to win the title or reach the final.