Aryna Sabalenka currently leads the WTA Race but faces a mountain to climb to stay there in the next fortnight.
The stars of women’s tennis have arrived in Indian Wells, California, for the start of Sunshine Swing, which is traditionally composed of two WTA 1000 tournaments – Indian Wells and Miami.
Sabalenka has accumulated the most points heading to the spring season to stateside. She was a runner-up in Brisbane and defended her Australian Open title in January. She recorded 2,335 points by the end of the Middle East swing.
But just behind her is Elena Rybakina, who could have surpassed the Belarusian but had to withdraw from the Dubai quarterfinal. The Kazakh has tallied 2,043 points, having won two WTA 500 titles.
Iga Swiatek has risen to third place after capturing the Qatar Open for the third year, becoming the first woman to three-peat in a WTA tournament since 2015. The Pole is not far from the top two, with 2,020 points.
Qinwen Zheng has lost ground at the top and currently is in fourth place with 1,710 points, the most of which was garnered at this year’s Australian Open. Jelena Ostapenko is one of two double champions on the WTA tour this year and sits in fifth.
One of the biggest surprises in the early phase of the season is Jasmine Paolini’s stunning success in Dubai, where she won her maiden WTA 1000 title. Those 1000 points have taken her to a high of sixth in the race.
Coco Gauff, meanwhile, dips in seventh, with Anna Kalinskaya, Dayana Yastremska, and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova occupying the final three spots in the Top 10 in that order.
