Aryna Sabalenka confirmed to end 2024 as year-end WTA World No 1 for the first time

Iga Swiatek’s defeat against Coco Gauff assured Aryna Sabalenka the top rank.

Aryna Sabalenka clinched the year-ending WTA No. #1 for the first time after coming within a whisker of doing so last season. Iga Swiatek stormed through the 2023 WTA Finals last season without losing a match to end Sabalenka’s short-lived stint at the top.

The Polish star is experiencing a mixed bag of fortunes at the 2024 WTA Finals. She scraped through an opening-round match against Barbora Krejcikova and has now lost to Coco Gauff.

OFFICIAL: Aryna Sabalenka is the WTA YEAR END world number #1.

— José Morgado (@josemorgado) November 5, 2024

Swiatek’s loss to Coco Gauff in their round-robin match could not have come at a worse time. Earning only her second victory over Swiatek in 13 games, Gauff dented any hopes the Pole may have had of regaining the World No. #1 position by the end of the WTA Finals. The American had lost both of her previous matches to Swiatek in the WTA Finals – Fort Worth in 2022 and Cancun in 2023.

By sealing her fate as the year-end WTA No. #1, Sabalenka ended Iga Swiatek’s aim to join Ashleigh Barty (2019-2021) as the year-end WTA No. #1 for three consecutive years. Sabalenka has dominated the second half of the season, adding the US Open trophy and WTA 1000 titles at Wuhan and Cincinnati to her Australian Open title from January.

At the WTA Finals 2024, Sabalenka currently leads the Purple Group with successive wins over Qinwen Zheng and Jasmine Paolini. Gauff headlines the Orange Group after defeating fellow American Jessica Pegula and now Iga Swiatek. Sabalenka and Gauff have completed their allocated round-robin matches without dropping a set.

Top seed Sabalenka and third seed Gauff have already progressed to the semi-final stage following their dominating run in the group stage.

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

Elena Rybakina faces Sabalenka on Day 5, while Pegula faces Swiatek on Day 6. The upcoming encounters are a formality as they have already been eliminated from the event. Elena Rybakina and Jessica Pegula are the first two players to exit the competition following two defeats in quick succession.

Jasmine Paolini will slug it against Qinwen Zheng for a chance to progress, with Barbora Krejcikova taking on Coco Gauff in her bed to make the semi-final as the group stage phase winds down.

Aryna Sabalenka, whose game has been near impenetrable in the Asian swing, has an opportunity to add another first to her resume and achieve something she has not managed to yet – lay her hands on the WTA Finals trophy.

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