Aryna Sabalenka sends message to Iga Swiatek as world No. 1 skips another tournament
Iga Swiatek pulled out ahead of the Wuhan Open.
Aryna Sabalenka has sent a message to Iga Swiatek after winning her opening match in Wuhan.
Sabalenka is the top seed this week following the world No. 1’s withdrawal.
It’s the second successive tournament Swiatek has missed as she rejigs her team after splitting with her coach of three years.
Swiatek’s absence from the WTA 1000 events in Wuhan and Beijing has given Sabalenka a massive boost in their battle for the year-end No. 1 spot. In the WTA race – made up on ranking points earned in 2024 alone – Swiatek leads with 8,285 points.
But if Sabalenka wins her next match in Wuhan she will leapfrog Swiatek in the race and close the gap in the live rankings, putting her in good stead to end the season on top.
While the three-time Grand Slam champion is benefitting from the Pole’s recent withdrawals, she admitted she would rather battle it out with Swiatek as she sent her rival a message about her current situation.
“I mean, I love having this competition and I love seeing her in the draw,” the world No. 2 said of Swiatek’s absence.
“Yeah, I love to, like, get to the finals and face her in the finals. It’s always great battles. I always enjoy fights against her.
“But, I mean, I hope she’ll figure out the coach situation and she’ll be back in the Finals [year-end championships] in her best shape.”
Sabalenka is hoping their fight for the year-end No. 1 ranking can come to a head at the WTA Finals. But the Belarusian is also trying not to worry about external noise.
She added: “Hopefully we can play against each other there in the Finals, yeah, put it into a fight for world No. 1. That’s ideal.
“I’m trying to focus on myself and make sure that I play my best tennis and make sure I still have this opportunity to become world No. 1 at the end of the year.”
Swiatek has not played a match since her one-sided quarter-final loss to Jessica Pegula at the US Open. After skipping the China Open in Beijing, she announced her split from long-time coach Tomasz Wiktorowski.
Hours later, the five-time Major winner pulled out of Wuhan. “After an important change in my sports team, I decided to withdraw from the tournament in Wuhan,” she said in a statement.
“I’m really sorry for fans in China and those who wait to see me play, but I hope you understand that I need some time.”
