"This year it feels like Iga Swiatek's limping into the finals";"How anticlimactic" - Fans react to Aryna Sabalenka dethroning Pole as World No. 1

Fans reacted with a mix of excitement and frustration to Aryna Sabalenka dethroning Iga Swiatek for the World No. 1 spot in the latest rankings. The news came as a surprise to many as the Pole dropped in the rankings after losing points due to a technicality.

Swiatek has lost her World No. 1 ranking to Sabalenka due to a WTA rule, requiring players to participate in at least six WTA 500 tournaments per season. The Pole only competed in two such events this year—the United Cup and Stuttgart Open—falling short of the requirement.

As a result, the points from her lowest-earning tournament, the Miami Open, where she earned 120 points, were removed. This dropped her total from 9,785 to 9,665.

Meanwhile, Sabalenka, who played in four WTA 500 events—Brisbane, Stuttgart, Berlin, and Washington D.C.—also lost points, but only 10, from her lowest result in Dubai. Her points decreased from 9,716 to 9,706.

Due to this small margin, the Belarusian reclaimed the No. 1 spot. Neither player will compete again before the WTA Finals, making Sabalenka the new World No. 1 heading into the year-end event. Fans on Reddit had mixed reactions to the news.

"Well it’ll be settled at the WTA Finals anyway. It’s basically irrelevant when they’re this close," one fan wrote.

One fan was pessimistic about Swiatek's chances of making a comeback in the rankings this year. Notably, she has not played since the US Open and has undergone a huge change in her coaching. The fan wrote:

"I don’t think we see last year’s heroics from Iga Swiatek. She was a woman on a mission end of year 2023. Everyone was up in arms about wta finals venue conditions and she simply showed up to play. This year it feels more like she’s limping into the finals..."

Comment byu/Expensive_Window_538 from discussion intennis

Some fans were excited for Sabalenka's rise back to World No. 1.

"ALL HAIL THE NEW WORLD NUMBER ONE!!!! ARYNA SABALENKA!!! I've been waiting for her to claim the top spot again for quite a while. Hopefully she holds it from now till the seedings of the Australian Open are announced, so she gets to sit at the top half of the draw," one fan wrote.

"Saba's year end no one incoming!?" asked another fan.

Here are some more fan reactions to Aryna Sabalenka dethroning Iga Swiatek for the top spot.

"How anticlimactic," one fan wrote.

Comment byu/Expensive_Window_538 from discussion intennis

"This is why you really cannot decide if you want to play this or that, and the reason why so many players complain about the calendar, this is the punishment they get, and that's for missing one masters tournament," another fan wrote.

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Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka's battle for the year-end World No. 1 spot at the WTA Finals

Iga Swiatek (L) and Aryna Sabalenka at the 2024 Italian Open (Image: Getty)

After recent point deductions, Aryna Sabalenka now holds 9,706 points while Iga Swiatek sits slightly behind at 9,665. Both players will see further point drops next week, due to not fulfilling the requirement of six WTA 500 tournaments.

Sabalenka will lose 65 points from her third-round showing in Miami, bringing her down to 9,641 points. Meanwhile, Swiatek will drop 195 points from her Stuttgart semifinal performance, leaving her with 9,470.

Further complicating the battle for year-end No. 1, both will lose their points from last year’s WTA Finals ahead of this season’s edition. The Pole, as the 2023 champion, will lose 1,500 points, bringing her to 7,970. Sabalenka, a semifinalist last year, will lose 625 points, leaving her with 9,016.

The 2024 WTA Finals will be the decider for the year-end No. 1. If Sabalenka wins two group-stage matches, she will secure the top spot regardless of other results. Iga Swiatek, however, has to win the Finals outright to reclaim the No. 1 ranking. It’s a tight race, but Sabalenka currently has the edge with her points buffer.