Elena Rybakina hits another drop volley straight out of the Roger Federer playbook. If she can keep improving this part of her game, I’m not sure there will be anyone who can stop her. 🇰🇿
WTA Race after first week of 2024 season as Elena Rybakina tied with Iga Swiatek after early success
WTATuesday, 09 January 2024 at 00:00
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.
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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
| Rank | Player | Points |
| 1 | Iga Swiatek | 500 |
| 1 | Elena Rybakina | 500 |
| 3 | Aryna Sabalenka | 325 |
| 4 | Coco Gauff | 250 |
| 5 | Linda Noskova | 195 |
| 5 | Victoria Azarenka | 195 |
| 7 | Elina Svitolina | 163 |
| 8 | Nuria Parrizas-Diaz | 125 |
| 9 | Daria Kasatkina | 108 |
| 9 | Jelena Ostapenko | 108 |
| 9 | Anastasia Potapova | 108 |
| 9 | Mirra Andreeva | 108 |
| 13 | Xiyu Wang | 98 |
| 13 | Emma Navarro | 98 |
| 15 | Caroline Garcia | 95 |
| 16 | Katie Boulter | 90 |
| 16 | Maria Sakkari | 90 |
| 18 | Julia Riera | 85 |
| 19 | Harriet Dart | 81 |
| 20 | Qinwen Zheng | 75 |
| 21 | Ekaterina Makarova | 72 |
| 22 | Moyuka Uchijima | 70 |
| 23 | Talia Gibson | 63 |
| 24 | Lin Zhu | 60 |
| 24 | Elise Mertens | 60 |
| 24 | Magda Linette | 60 |
| 24 | Karolina Pliskova | 60 |
| 24 | Veronika Kudermetova | 60 |
| 24 | Clara Burel | 60 |
| 24 | Arina Rodionova | 60 |
| 24 | Angelique Kerber | 60 |
| 32 | Olivia Gadecki | 57 |
| 33 | Sahaja Yamalapalli | 57 |
| 34 | Varvara Gracheva | 54 |
| 34 | Diane Parry | 54 |
| 34 | Marie Bouzkova | 54 |
| 34 | Petra Martic | 54 |
| 38 | Antonia Ruzic | 50 |
| 38 | Angella Okutoyi | 50 |
| 40 | Katie Volynets | 49 |
| 40 | Clara Tauson | 49 |
| 42 | Brenda Fruhvirtova | 48 |
| 42 | Lulu Sun | 48 |
| 44 | Diana Marcinkevica | 44 |
| 45 | Donna Vekic | 40 |
| 46 | Maya Joint | 36 |
| 47 | Beatriz Haddad Maia | 35 |
| 47 | Jessica Pegula | 35 |
| 47 | Jasmine Paolini | 35 |
| 50 | Sara Saito | 33 |
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