The 2024 WTA Race to Riyadh
The 2024 WTA Race to Riyadh is hotting up as seven spots for qualification for the WTA Finals are up for grabs. Iga Swiatek has already qualified for the season finale, which will be held on Saudi Arabian soil for the first time. The race will determine not only the eight best women in the season who will qualify for this prestigious year-end tournament but also the WTA’s year-end no. 1.
Swiatek has had the privilege and merit of clinching the year-end No. 1 in each of the last two seasons and looks certain to complete a three-peat this year after winning her fourth Roland Garros title last Saturday. The Pole leads the charts for the most titles by a WTA player in 2024 with five. She was a champion at four WTA 1000 tournaments (Doha, Indian Wells, Madrid, and Rome) in the first half of the season. With 7335 points, Swiatek leads second-placed Aryna Sabalenka by 2977 points. Elena Rybakina is in third place with 4013 points. Coco Gauff, who was a semifinalist in the Roland Garros singles tournament, is in fourth with 3163 points.
For context, the WTA race only accumulates points garnered in the current season, which is why Gauff is below Sabalenka and Rybakina but is above the pair in the WTA rankings as of this week. Jasmine Paolini rose three spots to fifth after her runner-up finish at the French Open. The Italian is enjoying a career-best season, which was highlighted by her win in the WTA 1000 in Dubai in February. Danielle Collins drops out of the top four and dips to sixth. The American is still in the top eight positions and is seeking to qualify for the WTA Finals for the first time in her career in what is her last season before retirement. Qinwen Zheng and Jelena Ostapenko occupy the seventh and eighth spots.
Players such as Marta Kostyuk, Emma Navarro, Daria Kasatkina, and Maria Sakkari can make up the ground during the grass-court season.
2024 WTA Race as of June 10, 2024:
| Rank | Player | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iga Swiatek | 7335 |
| 2 | Aryna Sabalenka | 4358 |
| 3 | Elena Rybakina | 4013 |
| 4 | Coco Gauff | 3163 |
| 5 | Jasmine Paolini | 3010 |
| 6 | Danielle Collins | 2927 |
| 7 | Qinwen Zheng | 2200 |
| 8 | Jelena Ostapenko | 1959 |
| 9 | Marta Kostyuk | 1766 |
| 10 | Emma Navarro | 1736 |
| 11 | Daria Kasatkina | 1613 |
| 12 | Maria Sakkari | 1601 |
