Aryna Sabalenka’s potential path to title glory at WTA Finals 2024

Aryna Sabalenka will aim to end the year as the number one seed

World Number one Aryna Sabalenka heads into WTA Finals 2024 as the top contender, eager to cap off a successful calendar year with another championship title. Having commenced the year with triumph at the Australian Open, Sabalenka soon faced a slump in fortune as a devastating shoulder injury kept her away from the game for several months.

This meant that the 26-year-old had to skip several notable competitions including the 2024 Wimbledon Championships and Paris Olympics. She officially made her comeback at the Canadian Open but wasn’t quite able to make the headlines. With plenty of outside noise coming her way, the Belarusian silenced her critics in style by lifting the Cincinnati Open, defeating the then world number one Iga Swiatek in the finals.

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

Sabalenka continued her purple patch at the Flushing Meadows and ended up winning the US Open, defeating Jessica Pegula in the final and claimed the top spot in the WTA Rankings. She now will hope to keep her number one spot intact and will be confident of her chances, having been placed in a fairly easy pool. On that note, let’s take a look at her potential path to glory.

Aryna Sabalenka’s potential path to title at WTA Finals 2024

Group stage: Qinwen Zheng

Aryna Sabalenka vs Qinwen Zheng has turned into one of the most interesting battles in tennis with the duo’s long history of heated exchanges in the past. The number one seed crushed the Chinese in straight sets in her opening encounter to kick start her campaign with a comfortable win.

Group stage: Jasmine Paolini

One of the most improved players this season, Jasmine Paolini has advanced to the final of two Grand Slam majors this year and while she will look to end the year on a high, the Italian is tasked to face the in-form Belarusian in her second contest. Paolini has started off well beating Elena Rybakina in round one which included a close tie-break.

Sabalenka last battled against the Italian at the 2023 China Open, wherein she defeated Paolini in straight sets. While one can certainly expect Paolini to challenge the hard hitting Belarusian, a win for Sabalenka looks prominent.

Group stage: Elena Rybakina

Elena Rybakina has missed bulk of the tennis action in the second half of the 2024 calendar year. After reaching the semis of the 2024 Wimbledon championship, injuries kept the Czech out of action. A player when in full force can be a handful for any opponent, Rybakina has not quite delivered to the expectations of many, as she hasn’t quite been able to do justice to the talent she possesses.

Also Read: Elena Rybakina hires Goran Ivanisevic as coach ahead of WTA Finals 2024

She has started on the wrong foot already, going down to Paolini in a disappointing straight sets defeat in her first match of the group stage. While there is little doubt that the Czech can take down anybody when in full force, Aryna Sabalenka is certainly expected to emerge victorious as was the case the last time these two met at the Madrid Open.

Semi-final: Coco Gauff

An exciting rematch of the 2023 US Open final looks likely as Coco Gauff could potentially take on Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-final match of the WTA Finals. Gauff had a forgettable Olympics outing and her poor form continued as she was knocked out by Donna Vekic in the fourth round.

However, she did well to bounce back and won the China Open. The American looked good once again at the Wuhan Open before coming up against Aryna Sabalenka, who defeated the 20-year-old in three sets. Gauff has in fact not managed to get the better of the Belarusian this year, with Sabalenka coming on top on both instances.

Also Read: Coco Gauff vs Aryna Sabalenka: Head-to-head record

A nerve-wrecking semis could be in store for tennis fans but given her superb run so far, Sabalenka is expected to register yet another win over the American.

Final: Iga Swiatek

A poetic finale between current world number one and two at the WTA Finals 2024 would be the best way to sum up women’s tennis for the 2024 calendar year. Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka have certainly dominated tennis this year and it would be fitting if either of the two go on to lift the trophy. This year, though Sabalenka got the better of the Polish with her latest win coming at the Cincinnati Open final.

Having said that, Swiatek has a healthy 8-4 lead over Sabalenka. On hard courts though, the scores are tied at 3-3.

Iga Swiatek hasn’t played a lot since the US Open, and she would want to avenge her loss and make a statement as well. After a below-par first set, Swiatek did well to come back from behind to beat Barbora Krejcikova in her first round and she would back herself to go all the way.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram