Following her impressive performance and title win at the WTA 1000 Mutua Madrid Open, where she conceded only one set across two weeks and secured 1,000 points, Aryna Sabalenka has significantly strengthened her hold on the leading spot in the PIF Race to the WTA Finals.
The 27-year-old has demonstrated exceptional form throughout this season. Her victory in Madrid marked her fourth consecutive final appearance and sixth overall final of the season. Earlier in the year, she also claimed titles at the WTA 1000 Miami Open and the WTA 500 Brisbane International.
Sabalenka`s strong season includes reaching the finals at the WTA 1000 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, the WTA 500 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, and the first Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open. These results have accumulated her a season total of just under 5,000 points in the race to qualify for the WTA Finals in Riyadh, presented by PIF.
Elsewhere in the standings, former WTA Finals champion Elina Svitolina made a notable climb of nine positions to reach No. 7, entering the potential qualification zone after advancing to the semifinals in Madrid.
In the doubles race, the pairing of Hsieh Su-Wei and Jelena Ostapenko earned 390 points by reaching the semifinals in Madrid, creating some distance for themselves in the No. 3 spot. Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townend, who did not compete in Madrid, maintain their lead atop the standings thanks to their dominant form earlier in the season.
This week will see the commencement of the final WTA 1000 clay court tournament, the Internazionali BNL d`Italia in Rome, offering players another opportunity to earn crucial points towards their WTA Finals qualification.
The WTA Finals Riyadh, presented by PIF, will feature the top 8 singles players and top 8 doubles teams from the PIF Race leaderboard. (Note: The 8th spot is reserved for a Grand Slam champion ranked between No. 8 and No. 20 if applicable). This elite event showcases the world`s best eight competitors in a round-robin format. The singles champion will be presented with the WTA Finals Billie Jean King Trophy, while the doubles champions will receive the WTA Finals Martina Navratilova Trophy.
