Victoria Azarenka’s congratulations to Aryna Sabalenka sparked controversy following her US Open title. The world No. 20 was emphatic on social media, calling her compatriot “the best player in the world this season,” seemingly downplaying world No. 1 Iga Swiatek.
Despite winning her second Grand Slam title of the year, Sabalenka remains ranked world No. 2 with 8,716 points, compared to Swiatek’s 10,885, a difference of more than 2,000 points. Regarding the WTA Race, which exclusively tracks points earned in 2024, Sabalenka has closed the gap, reaching 7,876 points, though still trailing Swiatek’s 8,285 by over 400 points.
With no more Grand Slam tournaments remaining and only two WTA 1000 events left, Sabalenka is directly in contention to finish the year as world No. 1. In particular, the WTA Finals will be her big chance, as Swiatek will have to defend 1,500 points there to secure her top spot.