By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday October 27, 2023
Aryna Sabalenka made it her mission to hunt down the No.1 ranking in 2023, and the Belarusian did just that, erasing a point deficit of over 4,000 to assume the WTA’s top spot from Iga Swiatek after the US Open.
Sabalenka, who won this year’s Australian Open, will try to hold on to the top spot and finish the year at No.1 at this year’s WTA Finals in Cancun, and the WTA has released the scenarios that will allow her to do that.
Currently Sabalenka has 8425 points to 7795 for Swiatek – and advantage of 630 points – but the Pole, who held the No.1 ranking for 75 weeks before being pushed off the pinnacle by Sabalenka, does have a pathway back:
Sabalenka does control the run of play here. If she reaches the final with a 2-1 or 3-0 record there is nothing that Swiatek can do to catch her.
Below are the scenarios in which the Pole could reclaim the top ranking, which have all been provided by the WTA’s staff:
If Swiatek loses a round-robin match, Sabalenka can secure No.1 by going undefeated in round-robin play or reaching the final.
If Swiatek loses two round-robin matches, Sabalenka can secure No.1 with a 2-1 round-robin record.
Assuming Sabalenka plays all three of her group matches, Swiatek must make the final to have a chance to finish at No.1.
If Sabalenka goes 0-3 in group play, then Swiatek would need to win the title or reach the final with a 3-0 group record.
If Sabalenka goes 1-2 in group play, then Swiatek would need to win the title.
If Sabalenka goes 2-1 in group play, then Swiatek would need to win the title with at least two round-robin wins.
If Sabalenka goes 3-0 in group play, then Swiatek would need to run the table, winning the title with a 3-0 group record.
Last year Sabalenka and Swiatek met in the semifinals at Fort Worth, with Sabalenka scoring a 6-2, 2-6, 6-1 victory.
The year-end doubles ranking will also be in play, with six players in the running to rise to the top of the rankings post Cancun: Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff, Storm Hunter, Gabriela Dabrowski, Katerina Siniakova, Shuko Aoyama.