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Aryna Sabalenka has been on a mission to become the World No. 1, replacing Iga Swiatek at the top, and she now finds herself within touching distance of her life-long dream. Having put up some exceptional results this year, Sabalenka has given herself a fighting chance of overtaking Swiatek in the rankings as early as the 2023 French Open.
Swiatek, with a total of 8940 points, currently holds a lead of 1399 points over Sabalenka, who has 7541 points to her name. This, however, could change at the French Open.
The Pole will be defending 2000 ranking points in Paris, earned through her triumph at the claycourt Major last year. The Belarusian, meanwhile, who suffered a third-round exit in 2022, will be defending 130 points from Paris plus the 180 points she acquired by reaching the Libema Open final in the second week of June last year. Sabalenka will thus enter Stade Roland Garros with a live lead of 291 points over Swiatek.
If defending champion Iga Swiatek crashes out of the event before the quarterfinals, she will retain just 240 of her 2000 ranking points. That will automatically propel Aryna Sabalenka to the World No. 1 spot, as she will have a minimum lead of 51 points even if she is knocked out in the opening round of the Slam.
Similarly, if the Pole faces a quarterfinal exit and Sabalenka reaches the fourth round or further, the Belarusian will still replace Swiatek as the new World No. 1. And if the 21-year-old is halted in the semifinals, Sabalenka will earn the top spot in Paris if she makes the last four too.
In the event that top seed Iga Swiatek reaches the final, second seed Aryna Sabalenka will have to face her in the ultimate clash and win the title in order to claim the World No. 1 ranking.
It is worth noting that Sabalenka has not progressed to the second week of the French Open so far in her career.
Aryna Sabalenka leads Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina in WTA live race ahead of the French Open
The competition is heating up in the WTA with Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina establishing a firm hold on the tour. The trio have been famously touted as the new "Big 3" of women's tennis; at least one of them, if not two, has featured in the final of every big event so far this season.
Aryna Sabalenka currently leads the live race to the year-end WTA Finals. She has accumulated 4840 points in 2023 thanks to her titles at the Adelaide International 1, the Australian Open and the Madrid Open, coupled with runner-up finishes in Indian Wells and Stuttgart.
Iga Swiatek, meanwhile, ranks third in the race, with 3145 points to her name this year. She has lifted titles in WTA 500s Stuttgart and Doha, and has been the runner-up at the WTA 1000s in Dubai and Madrid.
The Pole is placed right behind Elena Rybakina, who is second in the live race. Rybakina has collected 4276 points so far in 2023, mainly from her WTA 1000 titles in Indian Wells and Rome, and runner-up finishes at the Australian Open and in Miami.
Rybakina currently stands at a career-high ranking of World No. 4, and will be looking to close the gap with her two biggest competitors at the French Open.
