Aryna Sabalenka has her sights set on a stellar end to the year, aiming to return to the top of the world rankings. The world number two, fresh off her US Open victory, is the top seed at the China Open this week. This follows the withdrawal of reigning champion Iga Swiatek, who cited undisclosed “personal matters.”
Sabalenka has a golden opportunity to make a significant leap towards dethroning Swiatek in the rankings with a win in Beijing. “Of course, that’s one of my goals, to finish the season at world number one,” the Belarusian, a two-time Australian Open champion, expressed. “I’m not trying to focus on that, I’m trying to focus on my game. There are only three tournaments left. I’m just trying to bring my best tennis on court. After the season, I’ll see if it was enough to finish the year at number one or have to improve something else to get to number one.”
The three-time major champion previously held the world number one spot a year ago before being overtaken by Swiatek. “To be called the best player in the world, that means everything. It’s good to know that you’ve been doing the right thing, all of that hours of training, wasn’t a waste of time,” she remarked.
Sabalenka is making her return to the court after her US Open triumph, where she defeated Jessica Pegula in the final. She has a bye in the first round of the China Open. Other notable players participating in the prestigious 1000 WTA hardcourt event include Pegula, fellow American Coco Gauff, four-time major champion Naomi Osaka, and China’s Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen.
