Iga Świątek has already arrived in Riyadh with a very small margin of error when it comes to regaining her position as the leader of the world ranking, and even so, not everything depended on her. She could have won all the matches, and therefore the entire tournament, but Aryna Sabalenka's three victories were enough for the Pole to do nothing but reduce her losses.
Sabalenka applied the pressure, Krejcikova created hell
The Belarusian put additional pressure on the Pole in the first match of the tournament against Qinwen Zheng. Sabalenka confidently defeated the Chinese 6:3, 6:4 and increased her ranking advantage over Świątek to 1,246 points (in WTA Live ranking of course), thanks to which she was two triumphs away from securing the leading position at the end of the year. Our representative had no choice but to defeat Barbora Krejcikova and send Sabalenko a signal that if she wants to keep her “throne”, she must be vigilant at all times.
The clash with the Czech did not go according to the Pole's intentions for a long time. Krejcikova won the first set, taking advantage of a large number of mistakes by Iga, after which a two-month break from the game was visible. Especially in the forehand game. In the second set, the Czech was already leading 3-0 with an advantage of two breaks and it seemed that this would be a very unsuccessful comeback for our representative.
Świątek does not let up in the WTA ranking. Sabalenka cannot be calm yet
However, Polish women cannot be underestimated even in such a situation. Świątek returned from a very long trip and won the set 7:5, leading to a draw. In the decisive game, we again saw the Iga we all love to see. Maybe not in the absolute best form yet, but effective enough to brutally outpoint the increasingly tired Czech and win 4:6, 7:5, 6:2.
Świątek's victory over Krejcikova is doubly valuable. Shelf not only did she make a great comeback, but she maintained the status quo in the context of the WTA ranking. She gained 200 points and is now 1,046 points behind Sabalenka. This means that the Belarusian still needs two victories to secure first place at the end of the year. If Świątek lost, Sabalence would only need to defeat Jasmine Paolini in Monday's (November 4) match.
Of course, the triumph over the Italian can guarantee the Belarusian first place after the Finals, but now only if Świątek loses in the second match. This one is on Tuesday, November 5, although it is not yet known whether with Jessica Pegula or Coco Gauff.
WTA Live ranking after the Iga Świątek – Barbora Krejcikova match:
- 1. Aryna Sabalenka 9,216 points
- 2. Iga Świątek 8170 points
- 3. Coco Gauff 5,230 points
- 4. Jasmine Paolini 5,344 points
- 5. Elena Rybakina 4971 points
- 6. Jessica Pegula 4,705 points
- 7. Qinwen Zheng 4540 points
- …
- 13. Barbora Krejcikova 2,814 points