WTA Race Update: Swiatek closes on Sabalenka after new title, Rybakina and Paolini’s nail-biter for the last Finals spot

The first week of the Asian Swing concluded with Iga Swiatek winning the WTA 500 Korea Open title—her third title of the season—and adding a good haul of points as the final stretch of the year begins. The WTA Race to Riyadh has been updated, and the Polish star has partially cut the distance to Aryna Sabalenka, the undisputed leader in 2025.

The Race exclusively measures points earned in the calendar year (2025), unlike the WTA Ranking, which considers the last 52 weeks of competition. This classification system will determine the year-end rankings and the eight qualifiers for the WTA Finals in Riyadh.

Just a few weeks ago, the possibility of Swiatek surpassing Sabalenka in the Race seemed imminent, as she was only about 500 points behind before the US Open and was in impeccable form with titles at Wimbledon and the Cincinnati Open. The rest is known history: Sabalenka claimed the title at Flushing Meadows and took a large lead over Swiatek, who was eliminated in the quarterfinals.

The Pole, however, still holds out hope of finishing the year at the top of the ranking, and the title in Korea gives her renewed hope. Both are currently the only players mathematically qualified for the WTA Finals, although we could start seeing new confirmations this week.

Coco Gauff and Amanda Anisimova have not yet directly qualified for the WTA Finals, but they could confirm their positions this week. While the current Qualification Cut is at 5,355 points, Coco Gauff (5,194) and Amanda Anisimova (4,918) are only a few wins away from mathematically securing their classification. Both have seemed virtually assured of their spots for quite some time.

This is especially true for Coco Gauff, the Roland Garros champion, since the WTA Finals qualification rule allows players who have won one of the four Grand Slams to secure a spot in the Finals if they finish the year in the Top 20. With only a handful of tournaments left, Gauff (3rd) and Australian Open champion Madison Keys (5th, 4,450 points) are virtually qualified. In fact, Keys will not even be competing this week at the WTA 1000 China Open and will return to the court in Wuhan in two weeks.

Things start to tighten up a bit further back, with Jessica Pegula (4,218) and Mirra Andreeva (4,199) being the other names that would currently be qualifying for the WTA Finals. Although they cannot take their positions for granted, they have a substantial lead over their pursuers, and their great consistency throughout the year has kept them in the top zone without major issues. Recall that Andreeva won two WTA 1000 titles in the first part of the year (Dubai and Indian Wells), while Pegula has three titles this season (two WTA 500s and one WTA 250), in addition to reaching the final at the Miami Open and the semifinals at the US Open.

Things are getting interesting for the last qualifying spot for the WTA Finals, which currently belongs to Elena Rybakina (3,751 points). The former Wimbledon champion has managed to accumulate a good amount of points week after week through consistency, although she has fallen short in final stages, losing in three consecutive semifinals during the hardcourt swing.

It will be a fierce battle until the end of the season to secure the last Finals spot, with Jasmine Paolini (3,536) following closely behind. The Italian—champion of the WTA 1000 Rome Open—will arrive with confidence in the final part of the year after leading Italy to win the Billie Jean King Cup title for the second consecutive year. At this stage of the season, every victory they achieve could make the difference for either of them, as they have an identical schedule in Asia: Beijing, Wuhan, and Ningbo, where their last chances to qualify for Riyadh will be played out.

One player who could join the discussion is Ekaterina Alexandrova (3,136), who just reached the final of the Korea Open, falling to Swiatek in three sets. She added 300 points, and everything suggests the Russian could finish the season in the Top 10, although the possibility of qualifying for the Finals remains alive. If she manages deep runs in the upcoming tournaments—and Rybakina and Paolini have early exits—Alexandrova could continue to make a statement and potentially steal their spot in Riyadh. It remains to be seen if the Russian can maintain her level in the final part of the year.