WTA Race to Riyadh update: Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina continue to occupy the top two spots after Stuttgart, Marta Kostyuk makes a big jump

Iga Swiatek remains in pole position in the WTA Race to Riyadh but Elena Rybakina has narrowed the gap after the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. The Kazakh defeated the World No. 1 in the semifinals there en route to the title, her third of the season.

Swiatek has won two titles this year, both at the WTA 1000 level and has a 26-4 record. She leads the WTA Race to Riyadh with 3345 points. Rybakina's latest title has upped her total to 3203 points to remain in second place. Just like the Pole, she also has a 26-4 record for the season.

Aryna Sabalenka's form has taken a hit in the past few weeks. She fell to Marketa Vondrousova in the quarterfinals in Stuttgart. Nevertheless, she remained in third place with 2638 points. Her Australian Open title accounts for a huge chunk of her current tally as she hasn't accrued more points elsewhere.

Danille Collins hasn't competed since her title-winning run at the Charleston Open. She remained steady at No. 4 with 2032 points. Coco Gauff and Zheng Qinwen traded places with each other to be ranked No. 5 (1883 points) and No. 6 (1855 points) respectively in the WTA Race to Riyadh.

Marta Kostyuk was one of the biggest movers of the week. She lost to Rybakina in the final of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. It was enough for her to leapfrog five of her contemporaries and move to seventh place with 1685 points in the fight for the year-end championship.

Jasmine Paolini is a non-mover at No. 8, even though she gained 118 points to increase her tally to 1590 points. Just outside of the top eight cut-off, Jelena Ostapenko occupies the ninth position with 1564 points.

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The Madrid Open will offer players a chance to gain some big points in the WTA Race to Riyadh

Aryna Sabalenka at the 2023 Madrid Open.

The upcoming Madrid Open has the potential to disrupt the current standings in the WTA Race to Riyadh. While at least one of Swiatek and Rybakina is likely to make a deep run, other players could throw their names into contention with a good showing in the Spanish capital.

Aside from the usual suspects, there are plenty of other big names who could make an impact in the next fortnight. Emma Raducanu has begun the clay swing on a strong note as she made it to the last eight in Stuttgart.

Sloane Stephens is a credible threat on clay as well. She captured her first title in over two years over the weekend at the Open Capfinances in Rouen, another claycourt event. Maria Sakkari and Jessica Pegula could spring a surprise as well with a good performance to move up in the standings.