WTA Rankings Update: Points set to defended by top players before season end including Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff and Amanda Anisimova

Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka is looking highly likely to keep her top spot in the WTA rankings at the end of the ongoing season. The current season is moving towards the conclusion as all four Grand Slam titles have already been decided. Despite all major competitions having been played, some notable tournaments remain as well, which will see the top players defending some crucial points before the end of the ongoing season. Here is a list of top-10 players and information about what they will be fighting for in the latter stages of the season.

1: Aryna Sabalenka — 1,615 points

One player who can afford to be very confident of ending the season on a high note, as the reigning world number one, is Sabalenka. The 27-year-old recently lifted her fourth Grand Slam title after successfully defending the US Open. She defeated America’s Amanda Anisimova in the final in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 7-6. With that win, Sabalenka extended her lead at the top to 11,225 rating points, more than 3,000 points ahead of the second-placed Poland’s Iga Swiatek. The good news for Sabalenka is that there is only one player who is likely to overtake her, and that is Swiatek. Sabalenka has 1,615 points to defend before the end of the season. Out of those, she will defend 1,000 points at the Wuhan Open, just 400 points from the WTA Finals and 215 from the China Open.

2: Iga Swiatek — 400 points

Swiatek remains the only candidate who realistically has a chance of overtaking Sabalenka at the top. The Polish tennis star, who was knocked out of the recently concluded US Open after losing in the quarterfinal to America’s Amanda Anisimova, has just 400 points to defend. Her next outing will be at the Korea Open in Hong Kong.

Fight till the end

3: Coco Gauff — 2,690 points

Number-three-ranked Coco Gauff, who is just 59 points behind Swiatek, does not have a realistic chance of overtaking Sabalenka. The reason is that Gauff had a brilliant end to last season, where she won the WTA Finals, and will now have to defend nearly 2,700 points of her own. Gauff had a disappointing outing at the US Open, where she was knocked out after losing in the fourth round to Japan’s Naomi Osaka.

4: Amanda Anisimova — 224 points

Fourth in the list features America’s Amanda Anisimova. The 24-year-old has produced some impressive performances in the recent past, where she managed to play in the final of the two Grand Slams. Anisimova, after her latest extended run at the US Open, where she lost the final to Sabalenka, became the new world number four. The good news for Anisimova is that she only has 224 points to defend. Anisimova, with so many little points to defend, is in a pole position to challenge Gauff for the third spot.

5: Mirra Andreeva — 604 points

Russia’s Mirra Andreeva is fifth on the list. The 18-year-old had a disappointing outing at the US Open, where she suffered a shocking defeat in the third round to America’s Taylor Townsend. Andreeva is in a tight fix to keep her spot as only 790 points separate the players from the fifth to eighth spot, and all those players have very few points to defend. Adreeva, during the last stretch of the season, has 604 points to defend.

6: Madison Keys — 129 points

America’s Madison Keys is sixth on the list. The 2025 Australian Open winner has had a lean patch in the recent past and will have only 129 points to defend before the end of the season. That puts her in a very strong position to play in the WTA Finals this year.

7: Jessica Pegula — 124 points

Seventh on the list is another American player, Jessica Pegula. The 2024 US Open runner-up suffered a heartbreaking defeat in the recently concluded fourth and final Grand Slam of the year, to the same opponent, Sabalenka, but this time in the semifinals. During the last phase of the season, Pegula has just 124 points to defend, which puts her in a commanding position to secure a spot in the top-8.

8: Jasmine Paolini — 480 points

Eighth on the list features Italy’s Jasmine Paolini. The 29-year-old had a rather disappointing season, but the good news is that she only has 480 points to defend before the end of the season, which would give her a lot of hope of playing in the WTA Finals this year.

9: Zheng Qinwen — 2,340 points

Ninth on the list features China’s Zheng Qinwen. The 22-year-old has had a difficult time on the court this year with inconsistent results and fitness issues. Things are unlikely to get easier for Qinwen, who, going into the final part of the season, has more than 2,000 points to defend, which makes it extremely difficult for her to secure a spot at the WTA Finals.

10: Elena Rybakina — 200 points

After some impressive performances in the recent past, Rybakina remains in a very good position to secure a spot in the WTA Finals. The one-time Grand Slam winner is currently placed in 10th position with 3,833 points, less than 200 points behind eighth-placed Jasmine Paolini. With only 200 points to defend before the end of the season, Rybakina will remain optimistic that she will be able to secure a spot at the WTA Finals.