Iga Swiatek vs Aryna Sabalenka: Who had the better season in 2024?

Sabalenka was crowned WTA Player of the Year for the first time to cap a sensational 2024 season.

Aryna Sabalenka proved her mettle as a player after clinching the WTA Player of the Year award along with the year-end No. #1 position on the WTA rankings in the 2024 season. Both milestones came following a sensational 2024 campaign, one in which Sabalenka dethroned Iga Swiatek after the Pole spent a total of 125 weeks in pole position.

Former World No. #1 Swiatek had the privilege of bringing the curtains down in the preceding two years (2022, 2023) on the top of the charts. A truncated 2024 season saw her part ways with long-time coach Tomasz Wiktorowski and miss the entire Asian swing of the WTA calendar.

Iga Swiatek vs Aryna Sabalenka 2024 season comparison

Wins (Swiatek=59; Sabalenka=56)

In terms of match wins, Swiatek has a slim three-match lead ahead of Sabalenka at 59-56. The pair faced each other thrice in 2024, with Swiatek leading 2-1.

The duo has been on top of the women’s game, having clashed regularly on the WTA Tour, but are yet to face off in a Grand Slam final. Sabalenka will aim to defend her title in Melbourne and become the first since Martina Hingis (1997-1999) to win three in a row.

Also Read: Top five players with most wins in 2024 WTA season

Most points earned (Swiatek=7970; Sabalenka=9016)

Sabalenka garnered 9016 points while Swiatek ended up with a haul of 7970 points—a lead of a little over 1000 points. Other than the difference in the points accumulated, the duo has enjoyed a near-identical season, with Sabalenka bridging the gap thanks to a late-season surge. Sabalenka made seven finals to five by Swiatek, and both women notching up eleven top 10 wins in the season.

The majority of points scored by the pair were, of course, courtesy of their Grand Slam wins, where the champion wins 2000 points. Thanks to the 4000 points from winning in Melbourne and New York, Sabalenka pipped Swiatek to the finish line and ended the year as WTA No. #1 for the first time.   

Sabalenka was not to be outdone, as happened last season when she relinquished the No. #1 position after taking over in September to her arch-rival. The Belarusian sealed the deal with a semi-final appearance in the Riyadh WTA Finals while defending champion Swiatek made for the exit in the group stage.

Win Percentage (Swiatek=86.3%; Sabalenka=80%)

Swiatek wound up the 2024 season with five titles, while her Belarusian rival was victorious in four. Overall, Swiatek has a winning percentage of 86.3% to the 80% winning percentage notched up by Sabalenka.

The Polish player’s red-hot form at the beginning of the season saw her gain the edge over Sabalenka in this statistic. However, when it mattered, Sabalenka came with the big prize, the year-end No. #1 ranking, while Swiatek’s second half of the season was far from smooth.

Also Read: Iga Swiatek banned after testing positive for illegal substance

Titles (Swiatek=5; Sabalenka=4)

Sabalenka and Swiatek began their 2024 season on a strong note. The 26-year-old Sabalenka defended her Australian Open crown. At the same time, Swiatek claimed the WTA 1000 event in Doha for the third time on the trot. 

The Pole kept her foot on the gas pedal, winning three straight WTA 1000 events in Indian Wells, Madrid and Rome, all before the end of May, before going on to become a four-time champion in Roland Garros in June. 

Sabalenka hit her groove once the hard court season came around, making up for losing two WTA 1000 finals to Swiatek in Madrid and Rome. The Belarusian made the second half of the season her own, even as Swiatek lost steam.

Also Read: How many titles has Aryna Sabalenka won in 2024?

The new World No. #1 ended up bagging four titles in 2024. After defending her Australian Open crown, she bagged the Cincinnati Open and Wuhan Open WTA 1000 events. Sabalenka earned a three-peat of her own by winning the 2024 Wuhan Open. To top it all, she won the US Open to earn her second Grand Slam title in the season.

Titles rounds reached (Swiatek=5; Sabalenka=7)

Sabalenka made it to seven WTA finals this season, while Swiatek appeared in five. The Belarusian earned the more significant appearances, making it to two Grand Slam Finals (Melbourne, New York) compared to one by Swiatek (Paris).

By way of winning the Wuhan Open in China, Sabalenka emulated Serena Williams to win a WTA-1000 tournament in three consecutive editions. The younger Williams won at Miami between 2013-2015. The Belarusian with five titles is also the player with most wins on Chinese soil.

Also Read: Top 10 highest-paid female tennis players in 2024

Top 10 Wins (Swiatek=11; Sabalenka=11)

Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek can boast an identical 11 wins against the top 10 players in the WTA rankings. For Sabalenka, five of them came in October and November at the Wuhan Open and the WTA Finals Riyadh. In Wuhan, she took down Coco Gauff in the last four and Qinwen Zheng in the finals. Similarly, in Riyadh, she overcame Qinwen Zheng, Elena Rybakina and Jasmine Paolini in that order in the group stage.

In New York in September, Sabalenka had defeated Qinwen Zheng in the last eight and Jessica Pegula in the championship round for her second Grand Slam of the season. Swiatek herself was one of the top 10 casualties in 2024, with the win coming in Cincinnati in straight sets. Sabalenka went on to win the title in the final against Pegula.

In contrast, Swiatek’s win over the WTA top 10 was more evenly spread throughout the season. It began with victory over Rybakina in Doha, before overcoming Qinwen Zheng in Dubai and Maria Sakkari in Indian Wells. Across the events in Madrid, Rome, and Paris, the Pole overcame Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff twice each.

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