After winning the US Open this year, Aryna Sabalenka is determined to reclaim the world No. 1 ranking from Iga Swiatek. In the US Open final, the Belarusian triumphed over Jessica Pegula to win her second Grand Slam title of the season. While Sabalenka is still 2,169 ranking points behind Swiatek, her win at Flushing Meadows has moved her within 409 points of the Polish star in the race to the WTA Finals. In the midst of this, journalist Ben Rothenberg has made a bold statement, favoring Sabalenka over Swiatek for the No. 1 position.
Rothenberg is one of the well-respected journalists in the tennis world and is also the author of Naomi Osaka’s biography. Recently, amid the ongoing debate over who is the better player between Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, he weighed in on the discussion. “I think the best two of the WTA rankings is very close to each other. At the same time, there is also a visible space between Iga and Aryna, and the rest of the stake. In the last two years, it is clear that Sabalenka has been better when it comes to Grand Slam tournaments, and that people are most interested in them,” Rothenberg stated.
Further, he added, “She was extremely consistent in “big” struggles. Her early losses in tournaments rarely occur. When it is healthy, it is also stable. This is a significant change for her as a player – she emphasizes.” Even though Rothenberg chose Sabalenka over Swiatek, he acknowledged how far Swiatek has come in her career. “Iga conquers the French Open in turn. She had problems on the grass, and she was not always the best in terms of service from the leading group of tennis players. Nevertheless, she is very consistent on the path she has chosen,” the journalist remarked.
Aryna Sabalenka is high on confidence after her US Open victory. Even though the likes of Emma Navaro and Jessica Pegula caught attention at Flushing Meadows, it was Sabalenka who was the most dominating performer in the tournament. She showed the difference in quality with a straight-set victory over Pegula in the summit clash, as she breezed through to the title. And now her next goal is to rise to the top as far as the world rankings are concerned.
Aryna Sabalenka is ‘still hungry’ to grab the no. 1 spot
In one of the episodes of the WTA Insider podcast, Sabalenka expressed her unwavering determination and drive, stating, “I’m still hungry, for sure.” Despite her recent success, including the US Open title, the Belarusian remains focused on achieving even more. She added, “Another goal for sure is to try to become world No.1 again. But I don’t want to talk about this goal. I’m just trying to keep improving myself and keep getting better every day.”
Although Aryna Sabalenka missed Wimbledon this year, the time off proved beneficial for her as it allowed her to focus on preparing for the hard-court season. Not only did she win the US Open, the Belarusian had also won the Cincinnati Open before that.
While Sabalenka is focused on getting to the top of the rankings, she has already had a tremendous season, winning three major championships: the US Open, Australian Open, and Cincinnati Open. Time will tell if she becomes the no. 1 player in the world or not, but Sabalenka is definitely the most in-form player on the tour right now.
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