In her first stint as the world No. 1, Sabalenka spent a total of eight weeks as Swiatek reclaimed the position following her victory at the 2023 WTA Finals. Since then, the Pole has been the top-ranked player in the game without any changes while the Belarusian briefly lost the No. 2 position in mid-2023 to Coco Gauff.

The stakes are even higher for two players, Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka. Swiatek currently holds the World No. 1 ranking with 9,785 ranking points; World No. 2 Sabalenka is cl

Aryna Sabalenka has sent a message to Iga Swiatek after winning her opening match in Wuhan. Sabalenka is the top seed this week following the world No. 1’s withdrawal. It’s the second successive tournament Swiatek has missed as she rejigs her team after splitting with her coach of three years.

The Belarusian has a chance to close the gap on the Polish world No 1 in Wuhan, with the battle for top spot likely to be settled in Riyadh.

Aryna Sabalenka vs Yulia Putintseva 2024 Wuhan Open match preview: TV & streaming details, ticket information, free tips &

World number two Aryna Sabalenka said Wednesday that she believes her rivalry with top-ranked Iga Swiatek is "much-needed" in women's tennis.

Top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka recorded a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Czech Katerina Siniakova in the second round of the Wuhan Open on Wednesday in China. Sabalenka followed up a first-round bye by benefitting from seven double faults by Siniakova to win the match in 94 minutes and improve to 13-0 all-time in Wuhan.

Iga Swiatek has not played a match since her one-sided quarter-final loss to Jessica Pegula at the U.S. Open and she has now withdrawn from the tournament in Wuhan.