In recent years, Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek have consistently held the top two positions in the Hologic WTA Tour rankings. While Sabalenka currently maintains a substantial lead of over 3,000 points in the PIF WTA Rankings, she is still closely monitoring the performance of World No. 2 Swiatek.
Following her victory over Anna Blinkova in Madrid, Sabalenka provided a surprisingly detailed assessment of Swiatek`s challenging three-set win against 19-year-old Alexandra Eala the previous day. Swiatek had to recover after losing the first set and falling behind in the second.
“Yeah, it was great match,” Sabalenka commented to reporters. “Honestly, I think Iga didn’t really start well, she was missing a lot. But then she played calm and started playing much better, put a lot of pressure on Eala and got the win. Nice comeback for Iga after really tough start.”
Sabalenka and Swiatek, who have contested the Mutua Madrid final in the last two consecutive years (Sabalenka winning in 2023, Swiatek in 2024), are once again considered strong contenders to reach the final this year.
“It’s kind of like really far, talking about the final,” Sabalenka said with a laugh. “When you make it to the final, we can talk about that. Of course I’d like to play another final against her. It’s always kind of like leg-busters. It’s really cool to play and hopefully really cool to watch for people.”
However, for Swiatek, the stakes in Madrid this week involve more than just advancing through the draw. She could potentially leave the tournament without the title and, critically, without her No. 2 ranking.
Swiatek has maintained a ranking within the Top 2 every single week since March 21, 2022. This impressive streak is now facing a genuine threat. Both Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff have opportunities to surpass her in the rankings, depending on their results in Madrid:
- If Swiatek loses in the Round of 32: Pegula overtakes her by reaching the semifinals, and Gauff overtakes her by reaching the final.
- If Swiatek loses in the Round of 16: Pegula overtakes her by reaching the semifinals, and Gauff overtakes her by reaching the final.
- If Swiatek loses in the Quarterfinals: Pegula overtakes her by reaching the final, and Gauff overtakes her by reaching the final.
- If Swiatek loses in the Semifinals: Pegula overtakes her by reaching the final, and Gauff overtakes her by winning the title.
Conversely, if Swiatek reaches the final:
- Pegula can only surpass her by winning the title.
- Gauff is no longer able to overtake her ranking.
If Swiatek wins the title, she will secure her No. 2 ranking regardless of other results.
Should Pegula and Gauff face each other in the final, the winner would climb to the No. 2 spot. This would be Jessica Pegula`s first time ranking inside the Top 2. Coco Gauff previously held the World No. 2 ranking on August 12, 2024.
For her part, Swiatek has kept her focus firmly on her own game. After her hard-fought opening match victory against Eala, she immediately returned to the practice courts for about 30 minutes. Her goal was to fine-tune aspects of her movement and timing that seemed off during the match.
“I just felt like there are some stuff I need to work on, and it was best to do it right after, so the body can remember the good movement,” Swiatek stated. “It`s good that I had the opportunity to do that.”
She admitted that adjusting to the altitude conditions in Madrid continues to pose a challenge.
“It’s never so easy to adjust,” she explained. “The first practices were much colder. Yesterday it was hotter, so the feelings were totally different. The balls were flying a little bit out of control from my racquet, so I got the tension a little bit higher in the second set, and then it was better.”
Rather than dwelling on overanalyzing the previous match, Swiatek emphasized that her priority was reinforcing positive habits on court.
“Sometimes when you’re not starting well it takes a little more time to find your game,” she said. “But then I did, so I`m glad.”
