TENNIS | US OPEN
Who will be world number one in women’s tennis after the US Open?
After losses for Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina and Coco Gauff, could there be a new name at the top of the WTA world rankings?
Two Americans will be competing in the semi-finals of the US Open on Thursday, battling to become the second successive US winner after Coco Gauff claimed the title in 2023.
Emma Navarro will take on world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka in the first semi-final, before Jessica Pegula faces Karolina Muchova. The winners will meet in the women’s singles final at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Saturday, September 7.
The US Open is one of four ‘Grand Slam’ events on tennis’ calendar, meaning that there are big ranking points on offer for those who progress far in the tournament. Here’s a look at the WTA rankings ahead of the start of the US Open.
WTA women's singles rankings
1. Iga Swiatek - 10,695
2. Aryna Sabalenka - 8,016
3. Coco Gauff - 6,743
4. Elena Rybakina - 5,931
5. Jasmine Paolini - 5,168
6. Jessica Pegula - 5,160
7. Qinwen Zheng - 3,980
8. Barbora Krejcikova - 3,571
9. Maria Sakkari - 3,515
10. Jelena Ostapenko - 3,428
The US Open is the final major of the year, meaning that whoever’s top when the updated rankings are released next week is in a commanding position to end the year as world No. 1.
Who is the WTA world No. 1?
Polish star Iga Swiatek was top of the rankings coming into the US Open and she will remain there. The 23-year-old suffered a shock defeat to Pegula in the quarter-final but actually managed to improve on her 2023 performance, in which she was eliminated in the fourth round.
This means that her ranking points will increase after the 2024 US Open is accounted for, and she already boasts a healthy lead as world No. 1.
Behind her, world No. 2 Aryna Sablenka can close the gap if she makes it through to Saturday’s final and is victorious. In her semi-final she takes on Navarro, who is competing in the final four of a major tournament for the first time in her career. New York City-born Navarro had never previously made it past the first round in her home tournament but now stands just one match away from her first-ever appearance in a major final.