WTA Race after Rome Open: Aryna Sabalenka still dominates as Jasmine Paolini enters qualifying zone

The WTA Race to Riyadh was updated this Monday after the WTA 1000 Rome Open, where Jasmine Paolini became the first local champion in 40 years. The Italian sees this reflected in the Race, taking a position in the top 7. She wasn't the only one, as Coco Gauff also advanced after reaching her second consecutive WTA 1000 final.

Unlike the official WTA Rankings, the Race only takes into account points earned during the 2025 calendar year. The top eight players by season’s end will qualify for the prestigious WTA Finals in Riyadh.

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka remains comfortably in first place, despite her quarterfinal exit in Rome. The Belarusian was surprised by Zheng Qinwen – after beating the Chinese player in their previous 6 matches – but still added 215 points, allowing her to distance herself from Madison Keys – in second place – after the American's early exit in the third round.

Teenager Mirra Andreeva completes the podium, continuing to show consistency on the Tour and reaching the quarterfinals of a WTA 1000 again. The Russian was overwhelmed by Gauff (4-6, 6-7), but still continues to accumulate points, placing her comfortably in third place, especially after an early exit by Iga Swiatek, who was less than 20 points away two weeks ago.

Similarly, the Pole has had several deep runs this season, and despite the disappointment of not defending titles in Madrid or Rome, she has consistently added points. In Rome, it was the first time this season that she failed to achieve consecutive wins in a tournament, but her strong prior point accumulation keeps her in 4th place in the Race.

Slightly further back is Coco Gauff – who wasn't even in the top 10 a month ago, but a great clay swing has her installed as a top-5 player in the Race, surpassing Pegula, who was more than 500 points ahead last week. Nevertheless, Pegula remains in 6th place, still in a qualifying position for the Finals.

Jasmine Paolini, the brand-new Rome champion, finally took a position in the qualifying zone, advancing eight places to No. 7. She holds a significant lead over 8th place – Elina Svitolina – who, without attracting too much attention, maintains her consistency after reaching the quarterfinals of Rome, a tournament she had won twice in previous years. The Ukrainian would be the last qualifier for the Finals as of today.