Iga Swiatek capped off a phenomenal run at the China Open, by emerging victorious at the WTA1000 event. The win at Beijing also meant that she now leads the tour with five WTA titles to her name in the current year and has won her second-biggest title of the year following her victory at Roland-Garros.
If these milestones aren’t enough, there’s more as World No.2, Iga Swiatek reduced the deficit between her and World No.1, Aryna Sabalenka on the WTA rankings as well as the year-to-date standings. This is mainly owing to the fact, that the Belarusian faltered in the quarterfinals at Beijing, thus losing out on precious points.
Swiatek, narrowed the gap by 500 points, as the China Open was a WTA1000 event, which consequently meant that the points up for grabs were higher compared to other tournaments. With the victory, Iga’s tally rose to 8890 while the loss in the quarter-finals meant that Sabalenka’s points could only rise to 9480 from 9266.
The No.1 ranking for the end of the year will be at stake when the WTA Finals gets underway in three weeks at Cancun, Mexico. These two top-ranked professionals will be fighting to defend the points they attained last year. Sabalenka will defend 955 points while Swiatek will defend 750 points for their performances last year. Up to 1500 points can be gained by the players participating in the event.
Iga Swiatek will deal better with the world no. 1 ranking this time
Iga Swiatek has revealed that her reign of being World No. 1 was a great learning curve for her, at such a young age. The 22-year-old displayed remarkable consistency on the court to rise to the top of the WTA rankings. Her reign culminated after her loss in the fourth round of the US Open, which proved to be a gain for Sabalenka, who claimed the No.1 spot after her run to the finals at the event.
IGA DOING IGA TYPE THINGS 🏆👑@iga_swiatek secures her first Hologic WTA 1000 trophy of the season and her 16th career title!!!#ChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/OEyBL5lbwK
— wta (@WTA) October 8, 2023
Her recent win at the China Open bears significance, for it has given the impetus for the Polish sensation to successfully bid for regaining the No.1 ranking. According to a report, Swiatek was quoted that the experience she has gained has made her better prepared to reclaim the top spot.
Iga has stressed the fact there has been a considerable amount of pressure during recent seasons. But, she was quick to add, “….On the other hand, it is part of our sport and we have to learn how to adapt and to focus on tennis. If I were number one again, I would be much better prepared. I learn from it.”
Iga Swiatek has had mixed returns this season, with her victory at Roland-Garros being the highlight. She has four Grand Slam titles in her kitty, with three of them coming on the clay court in Paris, while the other was at the US Open in 2022. The Warsaw-born star has the game to challenge the best and remain at the top, provided she keeps her head and persists in being consistent.