Iga Swiatek becomes just the seventh player to record multiple 50-week stints as WTA No. 1

Her first stint at the top spot lasted 75 weeks, and her second stint—which she’s on now—just hit 50 weeks.

Published Oct 14, 2024

MATCH POINT: Aryna Sabalenka tops Zheng Qinwen for third straight Wuhan title

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Iga Swiatek is spending her 125th career week at No. 1 on the WTA rankings this week, which already sounds like a milestone, but it’s not the milestone we’re going to highlight today.

This week is actually her 50th consecutive week at No. 1, which—when combined with her first stint at the top spot, which lasted 75 weeks—makes her just the seventh player in WTA rankings history to record multiple 50-week stints at No. 1.

Her first stint ran from April 4th, 2022 to September 10th, 2023, then Aryna Sabalenka took over for eight weeks, then Swiatek took it back on November 6th, 2023, and this is her 50th week since then.

She joins Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf, Monica Seles, Martina Hingis and Serena Williams on the legendary list.

WOMEN WITH MULTIPLE 50-WEEK STINTS AS WTA NO. 1:
~ Evert (2): 113 weeks [1976-1978], 76 weeks [1980-1982]
~ Navratilova (2): 156 weeks [1982-1985], 90 weeks [1985-1987]
~ Graf (3): 186 weeks [1987-1991], 87 weeks [1993-1995], 94 weeks [1995-1997]
~ Seles (2): 91 weeks [1991-1993], 64 weeks [1995-1996]
~ Hingis (2): 80 weeks [1997-1998], 73 weeks [2000-2001]
~ Serena (2): 57 weeks [2002-2003], 186 weeks [2013-2016]
~ Swiatek (2): 75 weeks [2022-2023], 50 weeks [2023-present]

WTA rankings officially began the week of November 3rd, 1975.

Swiatek's bid for a third straight year-end No. 1 finish will come under major threat in the coming weeks.

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Swiatek’s No. 1 ranking will come under major threat in the coming weeks, though, as her closest challenger to the top spot, current world No. 2 Sabalenka, has almost caught her points total.

By winning the WTA 1000 event in Wuhan this past week, Sabalenka cut Swiatek’s lead from 1,069 points (9,785 to 8,716) to just 69 points on this week's rankings (9,785 to 9,716).

And at the upcoming WTA Finals, Swiatek is defending 1,500 points for winning the title undefeated last year—meanwhile, Sabalenka is only defending 625 points there, as she went 2-1 in the round-robin stage before falling to Swiatek in the semifinals.

Watch this space as the battle for year-end WTA No. 1 intensifies…

Wuhan gives Aryna her flowers 🏆 💐#WuhanOpen pic.twitter.com/Q8uKxc3XJz
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) October 13, 2024

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