Sabalenka joins exclusive club as eighth World No.1 achieved both in Singles and Doubles

Sabalenka joins exclusive club as eighth World No.1 achieved both in Singles and Doubles

Belarus’ tennis star Aryna Sabalenka has joined a special list of players after becoming the world number one in the women’s singles category.

The 25-year-old dethroned Poland’s Iga Swiatek at the top of the ladder after the latter was knocked out of the US Open in the round of 16 after losing to Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko with a score of 3-6, 6-3, 6-1.

Sabalenka has now become the eighth player in the history of women’s tennis to become the number one player in both singles and doubles categories.

That list features some of the big names in the sport such as America’s Martina Navratilova, Lindsay Davenport, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Spain’s Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Switzerland’s Martina Hingis and Belgium’s Kim Clijsters.

Despite achieving the top spot in the WTA rankings, Sabalenka will be disappointed with how her journey ended in the US Open.

The Minsk-born suffered a defeat in the final of the fourth and final Grand Slam of the year to America’s young tennis sensation Coco Gauff with a score of 2-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Overall, Sabalenka will be pleased with her performances in the major tournaments in 2023 where she won the Australian Open, finished as runner-up in the US Open and played in the semifinals of French Open and Wimbledon.