WTA Race to Riyadh Update: Swiatek's dominance continues, Zheng and Shnaider make gains

The WTA Race to Riyadh has been updated in a week marked by preparations for the Olympic Games for the principal stars in women’s tennis. Iga Swiatek is the only player who has qualified, having done so several weeks ago, and she leads by more than 2,500 points over second-place Elena Rybakina.

Jasmine Paolini completes the Race podium after moving ahead of Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff, who closes the top-5. Most of the top players are not competing this week as they are targeting Paris 2024 next week, so there won't be significant movements in the standings this week.

After Wimbledon, some players quickly traveled to compete in new tournaments during these short weeks on clay. The standouts of the week were two of the youngest in the upper echelon of the WTA rankings, Diana Shnaider and Zheng Qinwen, both of whom lifted their third titles as professionals and gained ground in the Race.

The Russian competed on the clay courts of the WTA 250 Budapest Open and defeated Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the final, 6-4, 6-4. It is the third title of the season (and her career) for the 19-year-old player, who seems ready to compete with the top players and is on the verge of entering the top-20 of the WTA Race. Only one player younger than Shnaider is ahead in points this season: teenager Mirra Andreeva, currently just one spot ahead and less than 100 points away.

Meanwhile, Zheng secured a back-to-back title at the Palermo Open. The Chinese player has regained her form after some inconsistent weeks and will head to the Olympics full of confidence. The 21-year-old moved up one position, returning to the top-8 after being surpassed by Barbora Krejcikova and Jelena Ostapenko in previous weeks.

World No. 1 Iga Swiatek remains firmly atop the WTA Race with 7,465 points. It seems unlikely that anyone will overtake Swiatek, at least until the US Open, with two WTA 1000 tournaments and a Grand Slam ahead in the next month. She has been qualified for the WTA Finals for over a month, where she will defend her title.

Elena Rybakina is further back with 4,901 points and still far from the qualification threshold, though her consistency throughout the year gives her the best chance to secure a Finals spot early. The Kazakh player reached the Wimbledon semifinals, allowing her to slightly narrow the gap with Swiatek, who only made it to the third round.

Jasmine Paolini rounds out the podium as the runner-up at the French Open and Wimbledon, as well as the champion of the WTA 1000 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. The Italian is having the best season of her career, surpassing Aryna Sabalenka in the Race after Wimbledon, and with 4,505 points, she is well-positioned to qualify for her first Finals.

Slightly behind is Sabalenka with 4,466 points. The Belarusian chose to skip the Olympic Games to start the hardcourt swing in North America. A single victory in Washington would return her to the third position in the Race, considering Paolini won't earn points in those weeks due to her presence at Paris 2024.

Considering that only eight players will qualify for the WTA Finals in Riyadh, the current top eight includes Coco Gauff, Danielle Collins, Barbora Krejcikova, and Zheng Qinwen. Close behind the top-8 are Jelena Ostapenko, Daria Kasatkina, and Emma Navarro.