Iga Swiatek confirms huge withdrawal – here’s how it affects world No 1 race
Iga Swiatek will not defend her China Open title next week due to “personal matters”.
The world No 1 dropped just one set on her way to winning the title for the first time a year ago, defeating the likes of Coco Gauff and Liudmila Samsonova to lift the trophy as the second seed.
Swiatek would have been among the favourites to win the title again this year, though has now confirmed that she will not be heading to the Chinese capital.
“Due to personal matters, I’m forced to withdraw from the China Open in Beijing,” she said.
“I’m very sorry as I had an amazing time playing and winning this tournament last year and was really looking forward to being back there.
“I know that the fans will experience great tennis there and I’m sorry I won’t be a part of it this time.”
It is the second delay to the start of Swiatek’s Asian swing, with the 23-year-old having already withdrawn from this week’s WTA 500 event in Seoul.
The world No 1 has not played since her US Open quarter-final loss since Jessica Pegula, though is still currently set to play the Wuhan Open the week after action in Beijing concludes.
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How world No 1 status may be affected by withdrawal
Swiatek’s withdrawal means that she will drop 1,000 ranking points, decreasing her cushion over world No 2 Aryna Sabalenka further – after the Belarusian closed the gap with her US Open triumph.
The Pole currently sits on 10,885 points though will fall to 9,885 once the tournament is over.
That is still clear of Sabalenka, who holds 8,716 points in the WTA Live Rankings, though the three-time major champion has the chance to make significant inroads and move within striking distance of Swiatek.
Sabalenka will now be the top seed in Beijing and has 215 ranking points to defend following her quarter-final loss to Elena Rybakina in 2023.
A run to the last eight will see her match that total, though she could potentially add another 785 points to her current tally if she were to win her fourth title of 2024.
That would see her move to 9,501 points, less than 400 off Swiatek’s total – increasing her chances of returning to the top spot in the ensuing weeks.
However, it may not be quite that straightforward.
Despite Swiatek’s withdrawal the field for the WTA 1000 event is still stacked with talent, with Jessica Pegula, Elena Rybakina, and Jasmine Paolini currently rounding out the top four seeds.
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