Aryna Sabalenka ends season inside top 10 of WTA rankings for fourth consecutive year

Becoming World No. 1 was among the major achievements for the Belarusian this year.

Aryna Sabalenka has demonstrated remarkable consistency during the 2023 tennis season. This year marks her fourth consecutive top-10 finish, cementing her status as one of the sport's elite players since mid-November 2020.

Sabalenka started her season by winning the Adelaide International title as part of her preparations for the Australian Open. She then went on to secure her first Grand Slam victory in the 2023 season by triumphing at Melbourne Park, an achievement she celebrated in her inaugural appearance in a Grand Slam final.

Following her Australian Open win, Sabalenka continued her strong performance by clinching the title at the WTA 1000 event in Madrid and making appearances in the finals of tournaments at Indian Wells, Stuttgart, Flushing Meadows, and the recently concluded WTA Finals in Cancun. Her victory at the Mutua Madrid Open, where she defeated Iga Swiatek, marked her fifth WTA 1000 trophy.

In 2022, Sabalenka finished fifth in the WTA rankings, marking her second consecutive top-five finish. She made a deep run at the 2023 US Open, reaching the finals before falling to Coco Gauff. This achievement propelled her to the World No. 1 ranking for the first time in September 2023, taking over from Swiatek.

Swiatek had been eliminated in the round of 16 at Flushing Meadows, facilitating Sabalenka's rise to the top ranking, a position she held for eight weeks.

The World No.1 ranking changed hands once more at the season-ending WTA Finals when Sabalenka fell to the dominant Swiatek in the semifinals in straight sets. Sabalenka reached at least the semifinal stage of all four Grand Slams in 2023, becoming the first woman to achieve this feat since Serena Williams in 2016.

She made the semifinals at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon and compiled an impressive 23-3 record at the Grand Slam events this year.

In 2023, Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka were the only two players to hold the World No.1 ranking. Iga Swiatek finishes the year as the WTA World No.1 for the second consecutive year. This year-end change in the top of the WTA rankings marks the first time since 2009 that the No.1 ranking switched hands at the year-end championships.