Sabalenka hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down, either—not only is she 23-1 this year with three titles, but she’s at least reached the final at the last five tournaments she’s played. She hasn’t lost before the quarterfinals of any event in more than a year now, either.
She heads into the clay-court season with a hefty 2,917-point lead over the current world No. 2, Elena Rybakina, but given their results on clay last year, it’s very possible that gap could close.
Sabalenka earned 2,840 points during last year’s clay-court season, winning Madrid, reaching finals at Stuttgart and Roland Garros and another quarterfinal in Rome. Meanwhile, Rybakina only earned 870 points on clay last year, winning a WTA 500 in Strasbourg but falling before the quarterfinals at Madrid, Rome and Roland Garros.
Things could heat up in Paris this year—or even in Madrid or Rome…
