Ruthless Iga Swiatek firmly back in the hunt for world No 1 ranking after title win

Shahida Jacobs
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Iga Swiatek at the US Open
Iga Swiatek in fine form at the US Open

Talk that Iga Swiatek was experiencing a title drought can be consigned to the dustbin as the Pole notched up her fifth title of the 2023 season with an impressive win over Liudmila Samsonova in the China Open final.

Before her Beijing title, Swiatek’s previous trophy came in July when she won her home tournament, the Poland Open.

The four-time Grand Slam winner then went to a bit of a lean spell as she lost in the semi-final of both the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open before her US Open title defence came to a crashing halt in the last 16 against Jelena Ostapenko.

Swiatek’s US Open defeat also resulted in her losing the world No 1 ranking to Aryna Sabalenka.

Cue chatter that the 22-year-old had lost her mojo and those ramblings grew louder when she was stunned in the quarter-final of the Japan Open last week.

However, that narrative will no doubt change after her performances at the China Open where she first beat reigning US Open champion Coco Gauff in straight sets in the semi-final and followed it up with a masterful 6-2, 6-2 victory over Samsonova in the final.

Sunday’s win earned Swiatek her fifth title of the 2023 season – the most on the WTA Tour this year – and her 16th in total. It is also the sixth WTA 1000 trophy of her career.

Even Gauff scoffed at suggestions that the Swiatek was experiencing a poor season, saying: “I’ve seen some of the comments people are saying, like she had not a good season. I mean, she won a Slam and was No 1 forever. I’m like, I would dream to have the season like she had this year.”

Swiatek, though, has certainly shut up her detractors.

State Of Play In WTA Rankings

Sabalenka started the China Open with a 1,071-point lead over Swiatek and had a chance to wrap up the season-ending No 1 ranking as all she had to do was better her rival’s result in Beijing.

However, the Belarusian lost in the quarter-final and, with Swiatek going on to win the title, the difference at the top is now just 465 points after the Pole picked up 1,000 points for her title win.

It means the battle for the year-end WTA No 1 ranking will be settled at the WTA Finals in Cancun, Mexico, where players receive 250 points for a round-robin win and an undefeated champion earns 1,500 points.

READ MORE: ‘Losing No 1 ranking the best thing that can happen for Iga Swiatek’, claims legend

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