“The year-end No. 1 ranking showdown will reach its climax at the WTA Finals, where Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek will compete in a head-to-head battle during the season-ending event in Cancun.”
Sabalenka replaced Swiatek at No 1 in the WTA Rankings after this year’s US Open and she heads to Mexico in the driver’s seat in terms of the year-end No 1 ranking as she controls her own destiny.
The reigning Australian Open champion tops the Race to the WTA Finals standings with 8,425 points with Swiatek 630 points adrift in second place while the rest of the pack is too far off to challenge the top two.
The points structure for the showpiece event is different to regular tour events as an undefeated champion can earn 1,500 points, but there are a lot of points on offer for every round-robin match.
Players receive 125 points just for playing a round-robin match and they get an additional 125 points for winning matches during the group phase. The top two in each group qualify for the semi-final and the players that win their semi-final will then receive 330 points while the overall winner will add another 420 points to their rankings tally.
Singles and doubles points breakdown
Points per match played – 125
Points per round-robin win – 125
Points for semi-final win – 330
Points for winning the final – 420
How Sabalenka can wrap up the year-end No 1 ranking
The 25-year-old can secure the year-end No 1 ranking by reaching the final with a 2-1 round-robin phase record, regardless of what Swiatek achieves at the tournament.
Other scenarios at play for Sabalenka
– Go undefeated in the round-robin matches if Swiatek loses one match in the group stage
– Reach the final if Swiatek loses one match in the group phase
– Have a 2-1 record in the round-robin phase if Swiatek loses two matches in the group phase
What Swiatek needs to do to secure the year-end No 1 ranking
The pressure is on the Pole – who spent 75 consecutive weeks at No 1 before Sabalenka replaced her in September – as she needs favours from the other players if she is to finish at No 1 for the second year in a row.
– Swiatek would need to win the title with a 3-0 group record if Sabalenka is also 3-0 in the group phase
– Swiatek would need to win the title with a 3-0 or 2-1 group-phase record if Sabalenka is 2-1 in the group stage
– Swiatek would need to win the title if Sabalenka is 1-2 in the group phase
– Swiatek would need to win the title or reach the final 3-0 in the group phase if Sabalenka is 0-3 in the group phase
Sabalenka and Swiatek won’t face each other before the semi-final in Cancun as they are the top two seeds and will go into different groups.
The rest of the field features Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, Marketa Vondrousova, Ons Jabeur and Maria Sakkari.
