US Open champion Aryna Sabalenka has risen to primary within the newest WTA rankings, ending Iga Swiatek’s 11-month keep on the summit.
Belarusian Sabalenka, who additionally retained her Australian Open title in January, tops the rankings for the second time after an eight-week keep between September and November 2023.
Neither participant was in motion final week however Poland’s Swiatek drops to second after being given a factors penalty for failing to compete within the obligatory six WTA 500 occasions.
The 23-year-old – who appointed a new coach earlier this month – has solely competed in two of the tournaments and has not performed because the US Open in September, after deciding to overlook the tour’s Asian swing due to fatigue.
She had led the rankings by greater than 4,000 factors at one stage after successful 5 titles within the first six months of the season.
However Sabalenka, 26, slowly reeled her within the second half of the yr, successful titles in Cincinnati and Wuhan to go along with her triumph at Flushing Meadows.
The following likelihood for Swiatek to return to primary is the season-ending WTA Finals subsequent month in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.