Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka ‘punished’ by controversial rule as Belarusian returns to No 1 in rankings
Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka have both been penalised for not playing enough WTA 500 events during the season and, as a result, the Belarusian has returned to No 1 in the WTA Rankings.
The top two players in the rankings were not in action last week and they also didn’t have any points to defend from the 2023 season, but there have been changes to the top of the rankings.
Swiatek started last week on 9,785 points while Sabalenka was on 9,716, but both were punished for not committing to enough WTA 500 tournaments during the season.
According to WTA rules, players need to play at least six WTA 500 events per year before they start losing points.
Swiatek has featured in only two WTA 500 events (the United Cup and Stuttgart Open) while Sabalenka has played in WTA 500 events in Brisbane, Stuttgart, Berlin and Washington D.C.
With neither player set to feature again on the WTA Tour before the WTA Finals, both were “punished,” and their points for the season’s lowest-earning events were scrapped.
For Swiatek, her “worst” performance this year came at the Miami Open where she earned 120 points after losing in the fourth round. Sabalenka, meanwhile, lost in the second round in Dubai and loses 10 points from that event.
After the points drop, Swiatek finds herself on 9,665 points while Sabalenka is 9,706, thus a change at the top of the WTA Rankings with the Belarusian back at No 1 for the first time since November last year as she starts her ninth week at the top.
