WTA Rankings Update: Iga Swiatek adds pressure onto Aryna Sabalenka after Seoul triumph, Maya Joint and Katerina Siniakova rise

While only one main tournament took place this week on the main tour, the WTA Rankings have been updated as we head towards the China Open this week. Iga Swiatek picked up her 25th career title at the Korea Open and was the leading light this week.

But despite not moving anywhere, she is hurtling towards Aryna Sabalenka like a freight train with the World No.1 battle set to intensify over the coming months. She saw off Ekaterina Alexandrova in the final in a 1-6, 7-6, 7-5 win the title.

She earned 500 points in the WTA Rankings and is slowly getting closer to the top spot earned by Aryna Sabalenka. She holds a 560 point lead over third placed Coco Gauff. Sabalenka now sits on 11,225 points compared to 8,433 from Swiatek.

She has chance to gain this week as well as she is playing in Beijing while Sabalenka won't return until Wuhan. Swiatek for reference as well didn't play the majority of the end of last season for personal reasons which was later cited as being due to a doping ban.

So she does not defend much going into the latter half of the season so it is when if not if that she manages to catch her. Coco Gauff is not adrift but likely needs a good few weeks to also engage in the race towards World No.1. Amanda Anisimova and Mirra Andreeva conclude the top five currently and there is a gap starting to form between Gauff and Anisimova with the rest of the top 10 fairly close apart from.

Siniakova, Joint rise as well known names plummet

Other movers and shakers this week include Katerina Siniakova who is making moves towards the top 50 of the singles rung on the tour. She moved up 15 spots after her impressive run to the semi-finals in Seoul. She entered this event after losing at the US Open and Guadalajara in the first round. She defeated Daria Kasatkina, Suzan Lamens before coming up against a tough opponent in Ekaterina Alexandrova.

She now sits in World No.62. Lamens as alluded to went up seven spots further up to World No.57. Those to plummet around this point too included Rebecca Sramkova as well as Laura Siegemund. The latter in 55th went down 15 spots. While Siegemund plummeted 10 spots to World No.53.

Further up Maya Joint continues her impressive rise. The 19-year-old Aussie took the 37th spot from fellow teenage high flier Iva Jovic albeit she also went up 10 spots this week and is surging towards the top 32 and being seeded for majors.