Aryna Sabalanka is in striking distance of replacing
Iga Swiatek as the number-one player in the world but she'll need a great showing in Paris to do so.
When the year started it seemed unlikely that anyone will dethrone Iga Swiatek as the number one player because her lead was so great. The lead has shrunk since then due to a combination of factors.
For one, Swiatek didn't play as impeccably as she did last year losing some points. Secondly,
Aryna Sabalenka experience a really strong showing so far rising rapidly and making the distance less than 2000 points.
The Polish player is defending that exact amount in Paris as she was the champion last year. Any result other than another trophy will lose her points. Sabalenka on the other hand doesn't have to defend that many points, about 300 points in total. That means that she can gain quite a bit with a deep run while Swiatek can lose a substantial amount.
If she loses in the quarter-final she'll lose over 1500 points. If she losses in the semi-final she'll still lose over 1000 points and with the lead being only at 1300 points an combination of a Sabalenka semi-final and Swiatek quarter-final exit could do the trick.