Iga Swiatek loses World No.1 ranking due to controversial WTA rule

Iga Swiatek has lost the World No. 1 ranking to Aryna Sabalenka due to a controversial WTA rule.

Under WTA rules, players must enter and play at least six WTA 500 events per season, and failure to do so means they get docked points. Since Swiatek participated in only two such events in 2024 — the United Cup and Stuttgart — she lost 120 ranking points on Monday, leading to Sabalenka leapfrogging her as the top-ranked player.

Mind you, Sabalenka did not meet the criteria of six events either, which is why she was docked 10 points as well. The Belarusian has played only four WTA 500 events in 2024 — Brisbane, Stuttgart, Berlin and Washington. However, since she was on the heels of Swiatek, the latter losing 120 points was enough for her to climb to World No. 1.

So, why were they ducked points before the conclusion of the season? It's simple: the only WTA 500 event left this year, the Pan Pacific Open, is underway, and neither will play in it. Swiatek and Sabalenka also chose to skip last week's WTA 500 Ningbo Open, with the latter prioritizing the WTA 1000 event in Wuhan and Swiatek not playing either event. 

Per the WTA rule, players who fail to meet the six-event criteria lose ranking points they earned from their worst result of the year across all tournaments — not just 500-level events. Since Swiatek's worst result was a fourth-round loss to Ekaterina Alexandrova in Miami, a WTA 1000 event, she lost 120 points. As for Sabalenka, her worst result was a second-round loss to Donna Vekic at the Dubai Tennis Championships, also a WTA 1000, for which she lost 10 points.