The WTA Race to Riyadh has been updated in a week marked by preparations for the Olympic Games for the principal stars in women’s tennis. Iga Swiatek is the only player who has qualified, having done so several weeks ago, and she leads by more than 2,500 points over second-place Elena Rybakina.
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek remains firmly atop the WTA Race with 7,465 points. It seems unlikely that anyone will overtake Swiatek, at least until the US Open, with two WTA 1000 tournaments and a Grand Slam ahead in the next month. She has been qualified for the WTA Finals for over a month, where she will defend her title.
Elena Rybakina is further back with 4,901 points and still far from the qualification threshold, though her consistency throughout the year gives her the best chance to secure a Finals spot early. The Kazakh player reached the Wimbledon semifinals, allowing her to slightly narrow the gap with Swiatek, who only made it to the third round.
Jasmine Paolini rounds out the podium as the runner-up at the French Open and Wimbledon, as well as the champion of the WTA 1000 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. The Italian is having the best season of her career, surpassing Aryna Sabalenka in the Race after Wimbledon, and with 4,505 points, she is well-positioned to qualify for her first Finals.
Slightly behind is Sabalenka with 4,466 points. The Belarusian chose to skip the Olympic Games to start the hardcourt swing in North America. A single victory in Washington would return her to the third position in the Race, considering Paolini won’t earn points in those weeks due to her presence at Paris 2024.
