WTA Rankings Race To Riyadh: Sabalenka qualifies with Swiatek and Anisimova on the charge
Aryna Sabalenka is the first player to secure her ticket to the 2025 WTA Finals while Iga Swiatek, Amanda Anisimova and Belinda Bencic have made big moves with their performances at Wimbledon.
Reigning world No 1 Sabalenka has been top of the WTA Rankings Race To Riyadh since the end of March when she replaced Australian Open champion Madison Keys, and she has solidified her position in recent months, winning the Madrid Open while she finished runner-up at Roland Garros.
The three-time Grand Slam winner earned 780 points for her run to the semi-final at Wimbledon, putting her above the qualifying threshold of 6,991 points for the season-ending tournament in Saudi Arabia.
Sabalenka finished the grass-court event with 7,395 points – a healthy 1,412-point buffer at the top of the standings with newly-crowned Wimbledon champion Swiatek now up to second place.
“It’s my goal every year to qualify for the WTA Finals and being the first player to do so this season is such a special moment for me and my team,” the Belarusian said. “Competing in Riyadh was such a great experience, and I can’t wait to return in November and battle to lift the Billie Jean King Trophy.”
The 27-year-old has now qualified for the tournament five years in a row with her best performance coming in 2022 when she finished runner-up to Caroline Garcia.
Former champion Swiatek has always been in the mix despite her sluggish start to the 2025 season when compared to her usually high standards. It took the Pole until June to reach her first final of the year as she finished runner-up at Bad Homburg to Jessica Pegula.
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But bigger and better things were to come at Wimbledon as she won her maiden title at the grass-court Grand Slam, beating Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 in the final to earn 2,000 points.
She moved up one place, but has opened a 1,374-point advantage over third-placed Coco Gauff with Keys in fourth place and Mirra Andreeva completing the top five.
Anisimova’s run to the final has resulted in a four-place jump to No 6 with Jessica Pegula occupying the seventh and final automatic qualification spot ahead of the start of the North American hard-court swing.
The WTA Finals features eight players with the top seven in the official WTA Rankings at the cutoff dating booking their places in the tournament while the eighth and final place is kept for a reigning Grand Slam winner who finishes between ninth and 20th.
Should all four current major champions finish in the top seven then the final spot goes to the player ranked at No 8 while those in ninth and 10th will travel to Saudi Arabia as alternates.
Jasmine Paolini is currently in eighth with Elena Rybakina and Elina Svitolina in the alternate spots.
Belinda Bencic is now also in contention for the season-ending tournament in Riyadh as she jumped 7 places to No 13 after reaching the semi-final at Wimbledon.
Top 14 In WTA Rankings Race
1. Aryna Sabalenka – 7,395
2. Iga Swiatek – 5,983 (+1)
3. Coco Gauff – 4,609 (+1)
4. Madison Keys – 4,105
5. Mirra Andreeva – 4,024
6. Amanda Anisimova – 3,453 (+4)
7. Jessica Pegula – 3,300 (-1)
8. Jasmine Paolini – 2,736 (-1)
9. Elena Rybakina – 2,536 (-1)
10. Elina Svitolina – 2,371 (-1)
11. Ekaterina Alexandrova – 2,187
12. Emma Navarro – 2,176
13. Belinda Bencic – 2,084 (+7)
