Aryna Sabalenka Becomes World No. 1 After Iga Swiatek’s Loss At WTA Finals 2024

Aryna Sabalenka has made history by becoming the World No. 1 at the end of 2024, for the first time in her career. This happened after Iga Swiatek lost to Coco Gauff in the 2024 WTA Finals. Swiatek’s loss meant that Sabalenka had secured the top spot, which she almost achieved last year.

In 2023, Iga Swiatek finished the year as No. 1 by winning every match in the WTA Finals. At that time, Sabalenka was at the top for a short period but couldn’t keep it. This year, Swiatek has had some ups and downs. She started the 2024 WTA Finals by winning a tough match against Barbora Krejcikova. But she then lost to Coco Gauff, which was a big setback.

Gauff’s victory over Swiatek in their round-robin match was important. It was only Gauff’s second win over Swiatek in 13 matches. This loss made it impossible for Swiatek to get back to the No. 1 position before the WTA Finals ended. Gauff had lost to Swiatek in the last two years, at the 2022 and 2023 WTA Finals.

With Swiatek’s defeat, Sabalenka is now officially the No. 1 player in the world at the end of 2024. Sabalenka’s strong performance in the second half of the season helped her secure the top spot. She won the US Open, along with titles at Wuhan and Cincinnati, to add to her Australian Open title from January. This made her a dominant force in women’s tennis.

Aryna Sabalenka at WTA Finals 2024

At the WTA Finals 2024, Sabalenka has done well in the group stages. She won her matches against Qinwen Zheng and Jasmine Paolini and is currently leading the Purple Group. Coco Gauff, on the other hand, is leading the Orange Group after beating Jessica Pegula and Iga Swiatek. Both Sabalenka and Gauff have won all their group matches without losing a set.

Both Sabalenka and Gauff have already made it to the semifinals after dominating their group stage matches. On Day 5 of the competition, Sabalenka will play against Elena Rybakina, while Pegula will face Swiatek on Day 6. These matches won’t change much since both Rybakina and Pegula are already out of the competition, having lost their first two matches.

Jasmine Paolini and Qinwen Zheng will play for a chance to move on, and Barbora Krejcikova will try to reach the semifinals by beating Gauff. The group stage is coming to an end, and there is still excitement about who will make it to the semifinals.

Sabalenka, who has been playing exceptionally well during the Asian tournaments, now has a chance to win the WTA Finals trophy for the first time. This would be another big achievement for the new World No. 1.

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