WTA Race Update: Mirra Andreeva takes first place as Iga Swiatek drops out of the top-10

The clay swing ended with Mirra Andreeva crowned as her first Grand Slam champion, and the WTA Race has significant movements, after the teenager — recent champion of Roland Garros — took over first place in the WTA Race to Riyadh, moving further ahead of Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina.

After the second Grand Slam of the year, things begin to take shape and appear with greater clarity, and the names that could earn their place in Riyadh now seem clearer. Let’s remember that the Race measures the points earned during the calendar year — from the first week of 2026 — and will determine the eight qualifiers for the WTA Finals, as well as the year-end rankings.

It was surprising in the latest update to see Iga Swiatek drop out of the top 10, after a clay swing without major performances and an early exit at Roland Garros. The 6-time Grand Slam champion lost her chance to accumulate a large number of points on her favourite surface and her qualification for the WTA Finals begins to look complicated after five consecutive appearances.

On the other hand, Marta Kostyuk and Sorana Cirstea consolidated their positions among the best of the year, and after a strong campaign at Roland Garros they are beginning to seriously consider their chances of qualifying for Riyadh. Meanwhile, Diana Shnaider also saw a significant rise after reaching Grand Slam semifinals, an ascent that brings her close to the top 10.

The biggest winner of the week was teenager Mirra Andreeva, who earned 2,000 points and took first place in the WTA Race. With her triumph in Paris, she can practically be considered qualified for the WTA Finals, since Grand Slam champions usually only need to finish the year inside the top 20 to secure their spot in the year-end tournament.

After missing out at the last moment in 2025 — due to the emergence of Elena Rybakina — now it is precisely these two players who can almost consider their presence in Riyadh confirmed.

Rybakina sits in third place — largely thanks to her Australian Open title at the start of the year, although that does not explain even half of her total points. The Kazakh player can also boast the Stuttgart Open title, a final in Indian Wells, and semifinals in Miami Open — although her Roland Garros campaign ended early after a surprising second-round defeat.

Meanwhile, Sabalenka remains in second place, undoubtedly the most consistent player of the season, with a 31–4 record so far. However, she has failed at key moments, such as the recent Roland Garros quarterfinals against Diana Shnaider, once again missing the chance to win a Grand Slam title outside hard courts. Even so, there can be little doubt about Sabalenka’s year so far, maintaining consistent results and winning three titles this season, including the Sunshine Double in Indian Wells and Miami Open.

After a top-3 dominated by consistency, it is Elena Svitolina who takes the lead in stability. The Ukrainian comes from winning the Rome Open and reaching the Roland Garros quarterfinals, making the most of a clay swing in which she was one of the most consistent players.

Her compatriot Marta Kostyuk was also part of that group, reaching a streak of 16 consecutive wins before falling in the semifinals of Roland Garros. Both Ukrainian players left the clay swing with WTA 1000 titles (Kostyuk in Madrid and Svitolina in Rome) and went deep later in Paris.

With their consistency, this could mark the first season in which two Ukrainian players reach the WTA Finals — if their level holds — with Elina Svitolina, the 2018 champion, absent from the event since 2019.

Also in the top zone remain Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula, who lost prominence due to early exits at Roland Garros. Both Americans lost in the first week of the French Open, but their year-long consistency allows them to remain in qualification positions for the WTA Finals, where they have been regular participants over the last four seasons.

Meanwhile outside the qualification zone, the drop of Iga Swiatek stands out, as she is now only at No. 11 in the Race. The Pole will desperately need strong results in the grass swing — especially with the defence of her Wimbledon title approaching.

Swiatek needs to prove that her title at SW19 a year ago was not an accident and that she can establish herself as a consistent grass-court player, otherwise her qualification for Riyadh could be at risk.

Meanwhile, Diana Shnaider is emerging with strong growth in the Race up to No. 12 — just behind Swiatek. The 22-year-old Russian had not even reached the top 40 a week ago, but now she is close to the highest positions. Some good results could bring her closer to top-10 contention — and even a possible spot in Riyadh if she finds consistency.

Also notable is Maja Chwalinska, who sits at No. 134 in the WTA Race, having earned 1,300 points from her run to the final, for a total of 1,454. Without her historic run in Paris, Chwalinska would barely be inside the top 150. However, she is now among the top 15 performers of the season, and the Pole will remain in the upper zone for the rest of the year.

(as per livetennis.eu)