The women’s game has never been this fiery. Aryna Sabalenka might still be sitting pretty at World No. 1, but Iga Swiatek is coming for her crown—and the China Open could be the battleground where the gap narrows in dramatic fashion.
Fresh off her 25th career title at the Korea Open, Swiatek is brimming with confidence. She has momentum, she has form, and most importantly—she has nothing to defend. Unlike Sabalenka, who has ranking points to lose, Swiatek is playing in Beijing with a completely open slate. Every win she picks up is a direct strike at Sabalenka’s lead.
Here’s the math that fans can’t stop talking about: Sabalenka sits on 11,225 points. Swiatek trails at 8,433. After Korea, she’s already crept up slightly, and with Sabalenka skipping Beijing for her romantic holiday in Greece, the window is wide open.
What makes it even spicier is that Sabalenka’s absence will cost her 215 points from last year’s quarter-final run. That means her total dips to 11,010—still a comfortable cushion, but not untouchable.
Swiatek’s path is clear: every round she advances brings her closer. A quarter-final? She edges up. A semi-final? Even tighter. A deep run to the final—or the title itself—could push her above 9,000 points and within real striking distance.
Of course, she can’t leapfrog Sabalenka this week—that would take more than Beijing alone. But if she stacks up points here, then storms Wuhan (where Sabalenka has 1,000 points to defend), suddenly we’re looking at a live race for No. 1 again.
Fans are buzzing. Some say Sabalenka’s break is risky, others say it’s smart—recharging after a brutal US Open win and avoiding burnout. But for Swiatek’s loyal followers, this feels like destiny: a perfect chance for their star to claw her way back.
The stage is set: Swiatek vs. the field, Beijing as the proving ground, and Sabalenka watching from afar. The chase isn’t over—but it just got real.
