Iga Świątek must be on her guard. Her biggest rival is returning to her former position
Iga Świątek is fighting for success in Cincinnati. Aryna Sabalenka, who has just returned to her former position, has the same plan. The Pole must be on guard, although she can still sleep soundly.
After winning the bronze Olympic medal, Iga Świątek decided to take a short break. She withdrew from the tournament in Toronto, but joined the Tour by registering for the competition in Cincinnati. In the first match, the Pole needed three sets to defeat Warwora Graczowa. Her biggest rival is also in the later phase of the competition.
Aryna Sabalenka returns to second place in the WTA ranking
Aryna Sabalenka did not appear in the Olympic tournament. Instead, she has been on the American continent since the beginning of August, where she competed in Washington and Toronto. In the US capital, she reached the semifinals and in Canada, the quarterfinals. It turns out that just one victory in Cincinnati (over Elisabetta Cocciaretto) meant that the 26-year-old can once again enjoy the title of vice-leader of the WTA ranking.
This state of affairs was influenced by both previous victories and the early defeat of the current world number two racket Coco Gauff. The American lost to Yulia Putintseva, which was quite a surprise. As of today, Sabalenka has 7136 points, and Gauff 6743 points. It is worth emphasizing that the numbers may change, as the Belarusian continues to play, and the latest official update of the ranking will take place next week.
What do these changes mean for Iga Świątek? In theory, not much, because the Raszyn native has settled into the leader’s seat and it doesn’t look like she’ll be giving it up in the coming months. The Pole currently has a score of 10,425 points, which is over three thousand points more than her biggest rival. However, Sabalenka may have more motivation to make up for her losses as vice-leader.
Sabalenka and Świątek battle it out at WTA Cincinnati
Aryna Sabalenka will play in the next round of the WTA tournament in Cincinnati with Elina Svitolina. In turn, Iga Świątek will face Marta Kostjuk.
