Iga Swiatek. (Photo by Frey/TPN/Getty Images)
Poland Iga Swiatek may have failed to add the WTA Finals title to her French and US Open crowns, but finished the year at the top of the women’s tennis charts.
The 21-year-old extended her points advantage over world number two Ons Jabeur of Tunisia despite losing to Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-finals in Texas last week.
This is the first time that Swiatek has finished at the top of the year-end ranking.
Swiatek’s remarkable season included eight singles titles and a 37-game winning streak. Sabalenka ended her 15-game winning streak against the top 10 players.
Swiatek’s path to the top was made easier by the surprise March retirement of Australian Ashleigh Barty, who finished number one from 2019-2021.
Sabalenka lost in the final to Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia – who became the second Frenchwoman to win the title after Amélie Mauresmo in 2005.
The two finalists at the end of the WTA season in Texas move up two places on Monday – Garcia to fourth and Sabalenka to fifth.
WTA ranking (Russian and Belarusian athletes are not allowed to represent their country due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine):
1. Iga Swiatek (POL) 11085 points
2. Ons Jabeur (TUN) 5055
3. Jessica Pegula (USA) 4691
4. Caroline Garcia (FRA) 4375 (+2)
5. Aryna Sabalenka 3925 (+2)
6. Maria Sakkari (GRE) 3871 (-1)
7. Coco Gauff (USA) 3646 (-3)
8. Daria Kasatkina 3435
9. Veronika Kudermetova 2795
10. Simona Halep (ROM) 2661
11. Madison Keys (USA) 2417
12. Belinda Bencic (SUI) 2365 (+1)
13. Paula Badosa (ESP) 2363 (-1)
14. Danielle Collins (USA) 2292
15. Beatriz Haddad Maia (BRA) 2215
16. Petra Kvitova (CZE) 2097
17. Anett Kontaveit (EST) 2093
18. Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) 1986
19. Ekaterina Alexandrova 1910
20. Ludmila Samsonova 1910
