WTA Race to Riyadh: Iga Swiatek holds firm, Sabalenka and Rybakina follow from afar

The WTA Race to Riyadh has been updated after the first week of the grass-swing. Iga Swiatek comfortably maintains her lead and has already secured her place in the WTA Finals. Most of the top-ranked players are making their grass-court debut this week, and there were no significant changes at the top of the Race.

The Polish player recently clinched her 4th French Open title, earning 2,000 points that further distanced her from her pursuers after an almost flawless clay-swing. Swiatek achieved 19 consecutive victories and added two WTA 1000 titles to her collection at the Madrid Open and Rome Open, bringing her total points to 7,335.

Sabalenka and Rybakina chase Swiatek in WTA Race 

In the current standings, Sabalenka holds the second position with 4,359 points, trailing Swiatek by nearly 3,000 points. Swiatek’s dominance during the grass-swing makes her uncatchable and guarantees her No. 1 ranking for several more weeks.

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Elena Rybakina follows Sabalenka closely, closing the podium with 4,014 points. Like the Belarusian, Rybakina suffered a surprising quarterfinal exit at the French Open, missing a chance to surpass Sabalenka. Despite injury-related withdrawals throughout the year, the Kazakh player has left a positive impression on the court, making her a grass-court favorite heading into Wimbledon.

Far behind is Coco Gauff (3,163 points), who recently reached French Open semifinals. The American lost again to Swiatek in a h2h that is now 1-11. Close behind are Roland Garros finalist Jasmine Paolini (3,010) and the Miami Open champion Danielle Collins (2,927).

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The top six players seem well on track for possible Finals qualification, maintaining a significant lead over their pursuers. In the 7th and 8th positions, Australian Open runner-up Qinwen Zheng (2,200) and Jelena Ostapenko (1,959) would currently secure spots in Riyadh.

However, several players are within striking distance, and a strong grass-swing performance could challenge Zheng and Ostapenko. Marta Kostyuk (1,766), Emma Navarro (1,736), Daria Kasatkina (1,613), and Maria Sakkari (1,601) are the main contenders vying for a place in the top eight before the season’s end.

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2024 WTA Race as of June 17, 2024: