Sabalenka tries to seal year-end No.1 spot at WTA Finals

Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka will compete in the WTA Finals in Mexico in hopes of securing the year-end world number one spot, fending off Poland’s Iga Swiatek.

The WTA Finals, held in Cancun, Mexico, is a prestigious $9 million season-ending outdoor hardcourt tournament featuring the top eight players. The event consists of round-robin group matches to determine the semi-final pairings, leading up to the championship match on November 5th.

Sabalenka, the current Australian Open champion, finished as the runner-up at the recent US Open and reached the semifinals in both Wimbledon and the French Open. She also claimed WTA titles this year at Madrid and Adelaide, giving her a 630-point lead over Swiatek, the reigning French Open champion, going into the WTA Finals.

Swiatek, a four-time Grand Slam winner, secured titles in Stuttgart, Qatar, Poland, and Beijing earlier this month. To clinch the year-end top spot, Sabalenka only needs to reach the final with a 2-1 record in the group stage, regardless of Swiatek’s performance.

“Becoming world number one is not the only goal,” said Sabalenka during a recent interview. “I believe it’s about finishing the year as the top-ranked player and maintaining that position for as long as possible.”

If Swiatek loses a round-robin match, Sabalenka can become the year-end number one by remaining undefeated in the group stage or by reaching the final. Swiatek must make it to the final to have a chance at the year-end number one, assuming Sabalenka plays all her group matches.

If Sabalenka wins at least one match in the group stage, Swiatek would need to win the title to have a shot at claiming the top spot.

Other notable players in the tournament include 19-year-old US Open champion Coco Gauff, fellow American Jessica Pegula, Greece’s Maria Sakkari, Ons Jabeur of Tunisia, Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina, and Czech Marketa Vondrousova, the reigning Wimbledon champion.

Sabalenka became the world number one after her run to the US Open final in September, ending Swiatek’s 75-week reign atop the rankings. Last year in the WTA Finals, Sabalenka defeated Swiatek in the semifinals but fell short in the final against France’s Caroline Garcia. In their two meetings this year, Swiatek emerged victorious in the WTA clay finals at Stuttgart, while Sabalenka won at Madrid.

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