Iga Swiatek eager to compete for year-end WTA No. 1 after Seoul title

The WTA’s year-end world No. 1 could be decided at the WTA Finals for a third straight season, and Iga Swiatek is in pole position to challenge Aryna Sabalenka for the top spot after a spectacular summer surge.

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“I would say it's always something to be, like, there in the back, but it's not like it's a main focus,” Swiatek said at the China Open on Wednesday.

The former world No. 1 arrived in Beijing fresh off her third title in three months, having capturing trophies at Wimbledon and the Cincinnati Open to roar back from a three-year low of No. 8 to move within just under 3,000 points of reclaiming world No. 1 for the first time since October 2024.

It was then that Sabalenka wrested the top spot and hasn’t let go, Swiatek initially blaming the points gap on her inability to compete in Asia last year due to an anti-doping investigation following a positive test for the banned substance trimetazidine.

Swiatek ultimately accepted a one-month ban that allowed her to return to action at the start of 2025, but the Pole dealt with the after-effects of the incident throughout the first half of the season, hitting emotional bottom after a semifinal defeat at Roland Garros.

“I already know that thinking about the rankings, it's not a way to go, no matter if you're No. 2 or no matter if you're No. 1. It's just kind of numbers. But it doesn't change the fact that you need to kind of feel the tennis and focus on the improvement on the court, then the results are going to come after that.”

The results have indeed come for Swiatek since the clay season ended, her Wimbledon victory ending a 13-month title drought and her winning run in Cincinnati bringing her back to No. 2 in the rankings. After winning the Korea Open Tennis Championships over Ekaterina Alexandrova in the final, a strong run in Asia could further narrow the gap between herself and Sabalenka.

“For sure it's a different situation than last year when I wasn't really able to defend my No. 1, like earn it,” she said before her opening round against either Yuan Yue or Yulia Putintseva. “Yeah, so for sure I'm just happy that I'm here and I can compete and fight for it. But I got to say, yeah, my main focus is more, like, tennis-related, how I want to play, how I feel on court.”

While Swiatek can only gain points over the next several weeks, Sabalenka will lose 215 points from her decision to sit out the China Open and is defending 1000 points from winning the Dongfeng Voyah Wuhan Open last fall. The US Open champion is also defending more points at the Finals, where she reached the semifinals.

Swiatek is the top seed in Beijing.