WTA Race after first week of 2024 season as Elena Rybakina tied with Iga Swiatek after early success

WTA
Tuesday, 09 January 2024 at 00:00
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The first week of WTA competition concluded with the top-ranked players of 2023 living up to their favoritism in the United Cup, Brisbane International, and Auckland. The current top four in the Race standings are Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina leading with 500 points, followed by Aryna Sabalenka in third place and Coco Gauff in fourth.
Poland's Swiatek showcased her relentless form in the United Cup, securing five victories on Poland's journey to the tournament final, where Germany ultimately claimed the title. On the other hand, Rybakina equaled Swiatek's points tally, thanks to a flawless campaign in Brisbane, where she clinched the title by defeating Aryna Sabalenka, who sits in third place with 325 points.

Surprises in the Top 10

Rybakina's points propelled her back to the world No. 3 spot, surpassing the recent ASB Classic champion, Coco Gauff. While Gauff defended last year's title, earning no points in the official ranking, she did start the Race strongly with 250 points.
Surprising names in the top 10 of the Race include Linda Noskova, Victoria Azarenka, Elina Svitolina, and Jelena Ostapenko. The young Czech, Noskova, reached the semifinals in Brisbane and, despite falling to Rybakina, accumulated her first 195 points, similar to former world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka.

Swiatek leading from the first week

The WTA Race considers points earned in the calendar year (from the first week of January) and will determine the year-end rankings, along with the top eight players who will compete in the WTA Finals. For the past two years, Iga Swiatek has ended the year as No. 1, and this year, she has begun in exceptional form, taking the lead from the very first week.
If Swiatek maintains this position, she will match the records of Ashleigh Barty (2019-2021), Serena Williams (2013-2015), and Chris Evert (1975-1977). However, she still trails behind Steffi Graf, who achieved this feat four years in a row twice (1987-1990 and 1993-1996), and Martina Navratilova, who accomplished it five times consecutively (1982-1986).

2024 WTA Race, January 8th, 2024

RankPlayerPoints
1Iga Swiatek500
1Elena Rybakina500
3Aryna Sabalenka325
4Coco Gauff250
5Linda Noskova195
5Victoria Azarenka195
7Elina Svitolina163
8Nuria Parrizas-Diaz125
9Daria Kasatkina108
9Jelena Ostapenko108
9Anastasia Potapova108
9Mirra Andreeva108
13Xiyu Wang98
13Emma Navarro98
15Caroline Garcia95
16Katie Boulter90
16Maria Sakkari90
18Julia Riera85
19Harriet Dart81
20Qinwen Zheng75
21Ekaterina Makarova72
22Moyuka Uchijima70
23Talia Gibson63
24Lin Zhu60
24Elise Mertens60
24Magda Linette60
24Karolina Pliskova60
24Veronika Kudermetova60
24Clara Burel60
24Arina Rodionova60
24Angelique Kerber60
32Olivia Gadecki57
33Sahaja Yamalapalli57
34Varvara Gracheva54
34Diane Parry54
34Marie Bouzkova54
34Petra Martic54
38Antonia Ruzic50
38Angella Okutoyi50
40Katie Volynets49
40Clara Tauson49
42Brenda Fruhvirtova48
42Lulu Sun48
44Diana Marcinkevica44
45Donna Vekic40
46Maya Joint36
47Beatriz Haddad Maia35
47Jessica Pegula35
47Jasmine Paolini35
50Sara Saito33

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