Who is the world No.1 in women's tennis? Updated WTA rankings and explainer

Joshua Mayne

Kieran Francis

Who is the world No.1 in women's tennis? Updated WTA rankings and explainer image

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The mantle of world No.1 in tennis is something every player aspires for but few ever achieve. 

When it comes to women's singles, Serena Williams dominated for years, although younger players have since emerged to stake their claim for the crown.  

Iga Swiatek enjoyed a solid spell at the summit but has since been usurped by Aryna Sabalenka.

MORE: Who is the world No.1 in men's tennis?

Who is the world No. 1 in women's tennis?

US Open winner Sabalenka has firmed in the top spot, holding a lead of more than 1,000 points over Swiatek.

A maiden WTA finals triumph has also seen Coco Gauff establish herself in the top three, while Qinwen Zheng has jumped two spots to world No. 5 after reaching the decider in Riyadh.

Barbora Krejcikova has recently moved into the top 10, replacing Danielle Collins.

WTA women's singles rankings

RankingChangeNamePoints
1-Aryna Sabalenka9,416
2-Iga Swiatek8,370
3-Coco Gauff6,530
4-Jasmine Paolini5,344
5+2Qinwen Zheng5,340
6-1Elena Rybakina5,171
7-1Jessica Pegula4,705
8-Emma Navarro3,589
9-Daria Kasatkina3,368
10+3Barbora Krejcikova3,214

*Last updated November 12, 2024

Check out the full WTA rankings here.

Coco Gauff/Qinwen Zheng

How do tennis rankings work?

Women's tennis world rankings are calculated by the WTA, who award points based on a player's performance at particular tournaments. 

The further a player progresses in a sanctioned event, the more points they will be awarded. 

Grand slams provide the most points with 2000 awarded to the winner and 1200 to the runner-up. 

Points picked up from each tournament last for one year with rankings updated each week. 

When are tennis rankings updated?

Both the ATP and WTA update their rankings every Monday when tournaments aren't running. 

So, in general, you can expect weekly updates aside from when Grand Slams are being competed. 

Joshua Mayne

Joshua Mayne Photo

Joshua Mayne is a content producer for The Sporting News currently based in Manchester, England. He has previously worked as a newsreader at 2SER and journalist at Ministry of Sport. Joshua specialises in rugby league, motorsport and tennis. He is still waiting for Arsenal to win the Premier League again. 

 

Kieran Francis

Kieran Francis Photo

Kieran Francis is a senior editor at The Sporting News based in Melbourne, Australia. He started at Sportal.com.au before being a part of the transition to Sporting News in 2015. Just prior to the 2018 World Cup, he was appointed chief editor of Goal.com in Australia. He has now returned to The Sporting News where his passions lay in football, AFL, poker and cricket - when he is not on holiday.