Although Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek were not active last week, there has been a significant shift at the top of the WTA rankings due to reorganisations based on WTA 500 tournament commitments.
Swiatek is now No. 2, while Sabalenka has returned to the top spot.
Players must compete in six WTA 500 events this year, and they will receive zero points for each event they skip, according to the WTA. With just one WTA 500 scheduled for this year—Tokyo this week—we are now starting to notice the effects on Swiatek and Sabalenka.
Swiatek has participated in two WTA 500 events this year: Stuttgart, where she advanced to the semifinals, and the United Cup, which is regarded as a WTA 500-level event and where she collected all 500 points.
This year, Sabalenka has participated in four WTA 500 events: the semifinals in Washington, D.C.; the Frankfurt quarterfinals; the Stuttgart quarterfinals; and the Brisbane final.
This week, Swiatek’s ranking point totals went from 9,785 to 9,665, and Sabalenka’s went from 9,716 to 9,706, as zero-pointers started to be added to both players’ totals.
Sabalenka is, therefore, this week’s top seed.
Next week following Tokyo, both of their totals will receive another zero-pointer because neither is competing there and they will both lose additional points (Sabalenka to 9,641 and Swiatek to 9,470).
Their 2023 WTA Finals points will decline the next week, setting the stage for the 2024 WTA Finals, where a wider margin will widen heading into the season finale (Sabalenka to 9,016 and Swiatek to 7,970).
Sabalenka won both of the hard-court majors at the Australian Open and US Open, becoming her the sole female Grand Slam champion this year.
Two players who had breakthrough runs last week made their Top 100 debuts further down the rankings.
After making it to his first ATP final in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Canada’s Gabriel Diallo breaks into the Top 100 in the ATP rankings, rising from No. 118 to No. 87. Before his run at the ATP 250, he had never even advanced past the quarterfinals of a tour-level competition.
He is now tied with France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, who is ranked No. 50 this week, as the tallest player in the Top 100 at 6′ 8″.
After winning her maiden WTA title in Osaka, Japan, Dutchwoman Suzan Lamens moves up from No. 125 to No. 88 in the rankings, marking her first appearance in the Top 100. She advanced to the trophy at the WTA 250 event—and as a qualifier, too—despite never having advanced past the quarterfinals of a WTA event previously.
Lucas Pouille makes a triumphant return to the Top 100 this week, moving up from No. 101 to No. 96 after making it to the Challenger final in St. Brieuc, France. After a lengthy elbow injury layoff that included surgery, the Frenchman, who was once ranked No. 10 in the world, slipped out of the Top 100 in 2021. Last year, he dropped as low as No. 678 due to a string of ailments and off-court difficulties during the previous few years. The 2019 Australian Open semifinalist has returned to the top division.
