WTA Rankings: Sabalenka’s full year as No 1, Jasmine Paolini +2, Leylah Fernandez back as Canadian No 1
Aryna Sabalenka has completed 52 consecutive weeks at No 1 in the WTA Rankings while Japan Open finalists Leylah Fernandez and Tereza Valentova as well as Jamsine Paolini earned ranking boosts.
Four-time Grand Slam winner Sabalenka started her second spell at the top on October 20 last year and, despite being docked points in this week’s rankings for failing to meet the WTA requirement for the minimum number of WTA 500 tournaments per year, she is set to remain at No 1 until the end of the year.
The Belarusian, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Amanda Anisimova and Madison Keys were some of the top players who were handed zero pointers in this week’s rankings after failing to enter at least six WTA 500 events this season, but it didn’t have a big impact on their positions.
Sabalenka dropped 10 points, Swiatek 65, Gauff 10, Anisimova 10 and Keys 54.
However, Sabalenka remains comfortably at the top as she has a 1,687-point lead over Swiatek with only the WTA Finals still to come.
The 27-year-old has now completed a total of 60 weeks at No 1, which puts her 13th on the all-time list with Simona Halep (64 weeks) set to be passed in the coming month.
Although Gauff is now just 840 points behind Swiatek, the lead is bigger in the WTA Race To Riyadh as the American is defending 1,300 points at the WTA Finals with the Pole dropping just 400 points.
Paolini and Elena Rybakina were the big winners in the top 10 as they both moved up two places with the Italian’s rise coming on the back of reaching the semi-final at the Nignbo Open while Rybakina went on to win the title.
Mirra Andreeva’s poor form continued as she lost her opener at the WTA 500 event and, as a result, dropped three places to No 9.
Fernandez was the other WTA Tour title winner over the weekend as she lifted the trophy at the Japan Open, beating Valentova in the final, and she is up five places to No 22.
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The 2021 US Open runner-up – who has peaked at No 13 in the rankings – has reclaimed the Canadian No 1 spot ahead of Victoria Mboko, who is one place behind her. The 18-year-old Valentova surged 21 places to a new career-high of 57th.
Former world No 8 Daria Kasatkina – who has ended her 2025 season early due to injury – has exited the top 30 for the first time since 2021 after she dropped 13 places to No 35.
Players who have achieved new career highs in the top 100 are Maya Joint (32), Iva Jovic (33), Lois Boisson (37), Alex Eala (53), Valentova (58), Elsa Jacquemot (59), Zeynep Sonmez (69), Janice Tjen (80), Simona Waltert (88) and Darja Semenistaja (92).
WTA Rankings Top 20
1. Aryna Sabalenka – 10,390 points
2. Iga Swiatek Poland – 8,703
3. Coco Gauff United States – 7,863
4. Amanda Anisimova United States – 5,914
5. Jessica Pegula United States – 5,183
6. Jasmine Paolini Italy – 4,525 (+2)
7. Elena Rybakina Kazakhstan – 4,505 (+2)
8. Madison Keys United States – 4,395 (-1)
9. Mirra Andreeva – 4,643 (-3)
10. Ekaterina Alexandrova – 3,375
11. Zheng Qinwen China – 3,028
12. Clara Tauson Denmark – 2,789
13. Belinda Bencic Switzerland – 2,662 (+1)
14. Elina Svitolina Ukraine – 2,605 (-1)
15. Emma Navarro United States – 2,515
16. Naomi Osaka Japan – 2,497
17. Linda Noskova Czech Republic – 2,376
18. Luidmila Sansonova – 2,209
19. Diana Shnaider – 2,191
20. Elise Mertens Belgium – 1,969 (+1)
