Aryna Sabalenka has edged closer to securing the top-seed status for the 2025 WTA Finals following her title at the US Open while four Americans are closing in on qualification for the season-ending tournament in Riyadh.
World No 1 Sabalenka was the first to book her place at the tournament as she qualified on July 8 with the bulk of her points coming from her runners-up finishes at the Australian Open and French Open while she also earned a total of 2,000 points for her WTA 1000 titles at the Miami Open and Madrid Open.
Iga Swiatek’s spot was then confirmed on August 17 following her Wimbledon (2,000 points) and Cincinnati Open (1,000 points) titles as she started to put pressure on Sabalenka for the top qualifier’s spot.
But the Belarusian has pulled away again after winning the US Open as she now sits on 9,610 points for a 2,077-point lead over the six-time Grand Slam winner.
There are still six places up for grabs as the WTA Finals features eight players. The top seven women in the official WTA Rankings at the cutoff date qualify for the tournament while the eighth and final place is usually reserved for a reigning Grand Slam winner who finishes between ninth and 20th.
However, that rule falls away if the four current major champions finish in the top eight, and that will likely be the case this year as Madison Keys (Australian Open), Coco Gauff (French Open), Swiatek (Wimbledon) and Sabalenka (US Open) are currently in the top five.
Gauff is closing in on a spot in Riyadh as she sits third on 5,184 points with the qualification cut off being 5,780 points and she is followed by fellow American Amanda Anisimova, who has enjoyed an incredible 2025.
Anisimova won her maiden WTA 1000 title at the Qatar Open in February and then finished runner-up to Swiatek at Wimbledon and Sabalenka at the US Open. She has climbed two places following her Flushing Meadows run.
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Keys completes the top five while Jessica Pegula – a semi-finalist at the US Open – is the fourth American in contention.
Mirra Andreeva and Elena Rybakina currently occupy the final two spots with Jasmine Paolini not too far behind Rybakina in ninth place.
Those in ninth and 10th will qualify as alternates for the season-ending event.
Former world No 1 Naomi Osaka is also in contention for the year-end tournament as she has surged nine places to 14 after reaching the semi-final of the US Open and the final of the Canadian Open.
However, the four-time Grand Slam winner will likely have to win a couple of tournaments during the final stretch of the season as she is 1,507 points behind Rybakina.
Top 14 In WTA Rankings Race
1. Aryna Sabalenka – 9,610 (Q)
2. Iga Swiatek – 7,533 (Q)
3. Coco Gauff – 5,184
4. Amanda Anisimova – 4,908 (+2)
5. Madison Keys – 4,450 (-1)
6. Jessica Pegula – 4209 (+2)
7. Mirra Andreeva – 4,189 (-2)
8. Elena Rybakina – 3,751 (-1)
The Challengers:
9. Jasmine Paolini – 3,526
10. Ekaterina Alexandrova – 2,871
11. Elina Svitolina – 2,606
12. Clara Tauson – 2,553
13. Emma Navarro – 2,310
14. Naomi Osaka – 2,244 (+9)
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