Year-end rankings wrap: A look at the new No.1, Top 10 shifts and much more
With the conclusion of the WTA Finals Riyadh presented by PIF, the regular 2024 season officially comes to a close with the year-end rankings. Click here to view the full breakdown.
Top Rankings and Milestones
A new year-end No.1 is crowned
Aryna Sabalenka View Profile became the 16th year-end No.1 in rankings history after winning two major titles in a season for the first time -- the Australian Open and US Open. Sabalenka first rose to World No.1 in September 2023 but was edged out by Iga Swiatek View Profile for the year-end status in the final week of that season. This time, with various scenarios at play, Sabalenka maintained her lead at the WTA Finals in Riyadh, resulting in a year-end swap between her and Swiatek in the No.1 and No.2 positions.
This marks the third time in the history of the rankings the year-end No.1 and No.2 have changed places in consecutive years, following Stefanie Graf and Monica Seles (1990-91), and Lindsay Davenport and Martina Hingis (1998-99).
The year-end Top 10 by the numbers
1. Aryna Sabalenka View Profile (+1 from No.2 in the 2023 year-end rankings)
Titles: 4 (Australian Open, Cincinnati, US Open, Wuhan)
Finalist: 3 (Brisbane, Madrid, Rome)
Win-loss record: 56-14
2. Iga Swiatek View Profile (-1 from No.1)
Titles: 5 (Doha, Indian Wells, Madrid, Rome, Roland Garros)
Finalist: 0
Win-loss record: 61-9 (59-9 in WTA main draws)
3. Coco Gauff View Profile (+0 from No.3)
Titles: 3 (Auckland, Beijing, WTA Finals Riyadh)
Finalist: 0
Win-loss record: 54-17
4. Jasmine Paolini View Profile (+26 from No.30)
Titles: 1 (Dubai)
Finalist: 2 (Roland Garros, Wimbledon)
Win-loss record: 40-20
5. Zheng Qinwen (+10 from No.15)
Titles: 3 (Palermo, Paris Olympic Games, Tokyo)
Finalist: 3 (Australian Open, Wuhan, WTA Finals Riyadh)
Win-loss record: 52-18 (50-18 in WTA main draws)
6. Elena Rybakina View Profile (-2 from No.4)
Titles: 3 (Brisbane, Abu Dhabi, Stuttgart)
Finalist: 2 (Doha, Miami)
Win-loss record: 42-11
7. Jessica Pegula View Profile (-2 from No.5)
Titles: 2 (Berlin, Toronto)
Finalist: 2 (Cincinnati, US Open)
Win-loss record: 39-16 (37-16 in WTA main draws)
8. Emma Navarro View Profile (+30 from No.38)
Titles: 1 (Hobart)
Finalist: 0
Win-loss record: 53-24 (45-22 in WTA main draws)
9. Daria Kasatkina View Profile (+9 from No.18)
Titles: 2 (Eastbourne, Ningbo)
Finalist: 4 (Adelaide, Abu Dhabi, Charleston, Seoul)
Win-loss record: 40-23
10. Barbora Krejcikova View Profile (+0 from No.10)
Titles: 1 (Wimbledon)
Finalist: 0
Win-loss record: 21-16
Top 10 quick hits
Sabalenka's five consecutive year-end Top 10 finishes (dating back to 2020) comprise the longest active such streak in the current Top 10. She's followed by Swiatek (four straight years since 2021), Gauff (three straight years since 2022) and Pegula (three straight years since 2022). This year also marks a third non-consecutive Top 10 finish for both Kasatkina and Krejcikova.
Gauff, 20, is the youngest player in the year-end Top 10. Pegula, 30, is the oldest.
Three players made their Top 10 debuts in 2024, compared to four in 2023: Zheng Qinwen (Jan. 29), Jasmine Paolini View Profile (June 10) and Emma Navarro View Profile (Sep. 9).
Zheng became the second Chinese player to reach the Top 10 (and subsequently Top 5) following two-time major champion Li Na, who peaked at No.2 in 2014. Paolini became the fifth Italian player ever to reach the Top 10, and third to reach the Top 5. Her year-end position matches the all-time career high by an Italian woman of No.4, first set by Francesca Schiavone in 2011.
Gauff (No.3) and Krejcikova (No.10) are the only players in the Top 100 whose 2024 year-end ranking is the same as their 2023 year-end ranking. Gauff did not go higher than No.2 or lower than No.6 during the year; Krejcikova did not go higher than No.8 but was as low as No.32 in June.
New Entrants and Breakthroughs
Top 20, 50 and 100 milestones
Eighteen players broke the Top 100 for the first time in 2024, compared to 17 in 2023. They were: Renata Zarazua View Profile (Jan. 8), Brenda Fruhvirtova (Jan. 29), Maria Timofeeva View Profile (Jan. 29), Arina Rodionova View Profile (Feb. 5), Erika Andreeva View Profile (Feb. 19), Maria Lourdes Carle View Profile (Mar. 4), Hailey Baptiste View Profile (March 18), Jessica Bouzas Maneiro View Profile (April 15), Julia Riera View Profile (April 22), Moyuka Uchijima View Profile (May 20), Rebecca Sramkova View Profile (May 20), Lulu Sun View Profile (Jul. 15), Chloe Paquet View Profile (Jul. 29), McCartney Kessler (Aug. 12), Olivia Gadecki View Profile (Sept. 16), Sonay Kartal View Profile (Sept. 16), Yuliia Starodubtseva View Profile (Oct. 7), Suzan Lamens View Profile (Oct. 21) and Zeynep Sonmez View Profile (Nov. 4).
Zarazua was the second Mexican player and Sonmez was the second Turkish player to reach the Top 100, following Angelica Gavaldon and Cagla Buyukakcay View Profile respectively. Sun was the fifth player representing New Zealand to be ranked inside the Top 100.
At the age of 34 years and 52 days, Rodionova became the oldest player ever to make her Top 100 debut.
Photos: All the Top 100 breakthroughs of 2024
Nine players broke the Top 50 for the first time in 2024, compared to 15 in 2023. They were: Anna Kalinskaya View Profile (Jan. 29), Clara Burel View Profile (Feb. 5), Magdalena Frech View Profile (Feb. 26), Yuan Yue (March 4), Diane Parry View Profile (April 8), Diana Shnaider View Profile (May 20), Viktoriya Tomova View Profile (July 1), Lulu Sun View Profile (Aug. 26) and Rebecca Sramkova View Profile (Nov. 4).
Six players broke the Top 20 for the first time in 2024, compared to three in 2023. They were: Jasmine Paolini View Profile (Feb. 26), Emma Navarro View Profile (March 8), Marta Kostyuk View Profile (May 6), Anna Kalinskaya View Profile (May 24), Diana Shnaider View Profile (Aug. 12) and Mirra Andreeva View Profile (Oct. 7).
Major Rankings Surges
Eleven players in the year-end Top 100 have improved their ranking by 100+ spots from their 2023 year-end position (the week of Nov. 6):
**** Naomi Osaka View Profile (UNR to No.59)
+464, Ajla Tomljanovic View Profile (No.549 to No.85)
+323, Amanda Anisimova View Profile (No.359 to No.36)
+227, Emma Raducanu View Profile (No.285 to No.58)
+179, Lulu Sun View Profile (No.219 to No.40)
+164, Caroline Wozniacki View Profile (No.236 to No.72)
+163, McCartney Kessler (No.231 to No.68)
+146, Sonay Kartal View Profile (No.235 to No.89)
+131, Suzan Lamens View Profile (No.218 to No.87)
+125, Moyuka Uchijima View Profile (No.181 to No.56)
+105, Renata Zarazua View Profile (No.165 to No.60)
Seventeen players in the year-end Top 50 have improved their ranking by 30+ spots from their 2023 year-end position:
+323, Amanda Anisimova View Profile (No.359 to No.36)
+179, Lulu Sun View Profile (No.219 to No.40)
+87, Rebecca Sramkova View Profile (No.129 to No.43)
+73, Dayana Yastremska View Profile (No.103 to No.33)
+63, Anna Kalinskaya View Profile (No.77 to No.14)
+61, Yuan Yue (No.108 to No.47)
+55, Diane Parry View Profile (No.105 to No.50)
+54, Paula Badosa View Profile (No.66 to No.12)
+47, Diana Shnaider View Profile (No.60 to No.13)
+47, Viktoriya Tomova View Profile (No.96 to No.49)
+44, Danielle Collins View Profile (No.55 to No.11)
+40, Yulia Putintseva View Profile (No.69 to No.29)
+38, Magdalena Frech View Profile (No.63 to No.25)
+34, Katie Boulter View Profile (No.58 to No.24)
+31, Elina Avanesyan View Profile (No.75 to No.44)
+30, Mirra Andreeva View Profile (No.46 to No.16)
+30, Emma Navarro View Profile (No.38 to No.8)
Doubles Highlights
A familiar face finishes on top again
Katerina Siniakova View Profile is no stranger to the year-end No.1 doubles ranking. This year marks her fourth finish at the summit, tying her with Cara Black and Liezel Huber. Only five-time year-end No.1 Martina Navratilova has ended more seasons in the top spot.
But this year was still a new chapter for Siniakova. In her previous No.1 seasons, she played predominantly with fellow Czech Barbora Krejcikova View Profile , with whom she won her first seven Grand Slam titles. They ended their regular partnership at the end of 2023, which Siniakova ended at No.10. In 2024, Siniakova won her first two majors with different partners -- Coco Gauff View Profile at Roland Garros and Taylor Townsend View Profile at Wimbledon.
The year-end doubles Top 10 is rounded out by No.2 Erin Routliffe, No.3 Gabriela Dabrowski, No.4 Lyudmyla Kichenok, No.5 Taylor Townsend View Profile , No.6 Jelena Ostapenko View Profile , No.7 Hsieh Su-Wei, No.8 Sara Errani View Profile , No.9 Elise Mertens View Profile and No.10 Jasmine Paolini View Profile .
Errani, who spent 87 weeks at World No.1 between 2012 and 2015, makes the biggest jump into the year-end Top 10 -- up 117 places from No.125 in the 2023 year-end rankings.
Rising Stars and Generational Talent
Generation standouts
Eight players aged 21 or under have ended 2024 in the Top 100: 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva View Profile (No.16); 19-year-old Linda Noskova View Profile (No.26); 20-year-olds Coco Gauff View Profile (No.3), Diana Shnaider View Profile (No.13), Ashlyn Krueger View Profile (No.65) and Erika Andreeva View Profile (No.67); and 21-year-olds Clara Tauson View Profile (No.52) and Emma Raducanu View Profile (No.58).
At the other end of the age spectrum, 13 players aged 31 or over have ended 2024 in the Top 100: 36-year-old Laura Siegemund View Profile (No.84); 35-year-old Victoria Azarenka View Profile (No.20); 34-year-olds Sorana Cirstea View Profile (No.70), Caroline Wozniacki View Profile (No.72) and Irina-Camelia Begu View Profile (No.83); 33-year-olds Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova View Profile (No.30), Arantxa Rus View Profile (No.81) and Nuria Parrizas Diaz View Profile (No.98); 32-year-olds Magda Linette View Profile (No.38) and Karolina Pliskova View Profile (No.41); and 31-year-olds Caroline Garcia View Profile (No.51), Sloane Stephens (No.79) and Ajla Tomljanovic View Profile (No.85).
Next to break through?
The 10 highest-ranked players in the 2024 year-end rankings who have yet to crack the Top 50 are No.53 Olga Danilovic View Profile , No.55 Jessica Bouzas Maneiro View Profile , No.56 Moyuka Uchijima View Profile , No.60 Renata Zarazua View Profile , No.62 Katie Volynets View Profile , No.64 Kamilla Rakhimova View Profile , No.65 Ashlyn Krueger View Profile , No.67 Erika Andreeva View Profile , No.68 McCartney Kessler and No.71 Cristina Bucsa View Profile .
By the numbers: The 2023 year-end rankings
The 10 highest-ranked players in the 2024 year-end rankings who have yet to crack the Top 100 are No.107 Robin Montgomery View Profile , No.109 Anastasia Zakharova View Profile , No.113 Anca Todoni View Profile , No.117 Polina Kudermetova View Profile , No.119 Maya Joint View Profile , No.121 Darja Semenistaja View Profile , No.124 Jessika Ponchet View Profile , No.125 Talia Gibson View Profile , No.127 Marina Stakusic View Profile and No.130 Eva Lys View Profile . All are aged 22 or under except Ponchet, 28.
Top ranked by birth year
The 10 highest-ranked players from each U21 birth year (from 2003) in the 2024 year-end rankings are as follows. Their 2023 position is in brackets.
2003
117. Polina Kudermetova View Profile (+40 from No.157)
131. Wei Sijia (CHN) (+140 from No.271)
136. Maria Timofeeva View Profile (-10 from No.126)
145. Antonia Ruzic View Profile (CRO) (+123 from No.268)
150. Elsa Jacquemot View Profile (FRA) (+17 to No.167)
176. Oksana Selekhmeteva View Profile (+243 from No.419)
188. Lois Boisson View Profile (FRA) (+153 from No.341)
212. Noma Noha Akugue View Profile (GER) (-41 from No.171)
248. Hina Inoue View Profile (USA) (+270 from No.518)
262. Tatiana Prozorova View Profile (-49 from No.213)
2004
3. Coco Gauff View Profile (USA) (+0 from No.3)
13. Diana Shnaider View Profile (+47 from No.60)
26. Linda Noskova View Profile (CZE) (+15 from No.41)
65. Ashlyn Krueger View Profile (USA) (+16 from No.81)
67. Erika Andreeva View Profile (+75 from No.142)
107. Robin Montgomery View Profile (USA) (+80 from No.187)
113. Anca Todoni View Profile (ROU) (+137 from No.250)
125. Talia Gibson View Profile (AUS) (+176 from No.301)
127. Marina Stakusic View Profile (CAN) (+131 from No.258)
154. Solana Sierra View Profile (ARG) (+58 from No.212)
2005
138. Ella Seidel View Profile (GER) (+57 from No.195)
151. Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva View Profile (AND) (+152 from No.303)
156. Taylah Preston View Profile (AUS) (+88 from No.244)
158. Alexandra Eala View Profile (PHI) (+47 from No.205)
173. Celine Naef View Profile (SUI) (-34 from No.139)
178. Elena Pridankina View Profile (+252 from No.430)
181. Lola Radivojevic View Profile (SRB) (+95 from No.276)
200. Sayaka Ishii View Profile (JPN) (+271 from No.471)
201. Linda Fruhvirtova View Profile (CZE) (-112 from No.89)
216. Shi Han (CHN) (+343 from No.559)
2006
119. Maya Joint View Profile (AUS) (+654 from No.773)
142. Sara Bejlek View Profile (CZE) (+48 from No.190)
162. Sara Saito View Profile (JPN) (+200 from No.362)
317. Kaitlin Quevedo View Profile (ESP) (+409 from No.726)
325. Clervie Ngounoue View Profile (USA) (+186 from No.511)
350. Victoria Mboko View Profile (CAN) (-27 from No.323)
394. Mia Ristic View Profile (SRB) (-41 from No.353)
478. Ren Yufei (CHN) (+68 from No.546)
488. Nikola Bartunkova (CZE) (-218 from No.270)
490. Luisina Giovannini View Profile (ARG) (+267 from No.757)
2007
16. Mirra Andreeva View Profile (+30 from No.46)
163. Brenda Fruhvirtova (CZE) (-30 from No.133)
177. Alina Korneeva View Profile (-21 from No.156)
206. Iva Jovic View Profile (USA) (+441 from No.647)
261. Tereza Valentova View Profile (CZE) (+419 from No.680)
294. Akasha Urhobo (USA) (+548 from No.842)
375. Renata Jamrichova View Profile (SVK) (+235 from No.610)
497. Veronika Podrez (UKR) (+44 from No.541)
506. Mingge Xu View Profile (GBR) (+239 from No.745)
542. Rositsa Dencheva (BUL) (+554 from No.1096)
2008
342. Laura Samson View Profile (CZE) (UNR)
427. Emerson Jones View Profile (AUS) (+446 from No.873)
577. Mia Pohankova (SVK) (+371 from No.948)
678. Mika Stojsavljevic (GBR) (UNR)
720. Rada Zolotareva (+545 from No.1265)
730. Zhang Ruien (CHN) (UNR)
801. Julie Pastikova (CZE) (UNR)
808. Alena Kovackova (CZE) (UNR)
814. Candela Vazquez (ARG) (+88 from No.902)
860. Wakana Sonobe View Profile (JPN) (+228 from No.1060)
2009
567. Julieta Pareja View Profile (USA) (UNR)
613. Hannah Klugman (GBR) (+46 from No.659)
732. Ksenia Efremova (FRA) (UNR)
775. Mariella Thamm (GER) (UNR)
843. Luna Vujovic (SRB) (UNR)
1002. Annika Penickova (USA) (UNR)
1178. Jahnie Van Zyl (RSA) (UNR)
1197. Kristina Penickova (USA) (UNR)
1265. Giulia Safina Popa (ROU) (UNR)
2010
1302. Nauhany Vitoria Leme Da Silva (BRA) (UNR)
