It won’t be long before the players on the tour finish their year with the WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia, and the final places for that competition are up for grabs.
The crowd in China for that tournament were praised by Paolini and her recent good form has thrown her into contention for the WTA Finals, with Rybakina now looking over her shoulder.
The race for the WTA Finals heats up
Rybakina has endured a bit of an inconsistent year, and things could get a lot worse before 2025 draws to a close.
On Sunday morning, Rybakina was stunned by Eva Lys, with the up-and-coming German player winning the match in three sets against the world number 10.
As a result, it throws the race for the WTA Finals wide open with Paolini now waiting in the wings to try and close the gap even further and secure a spot.
Paolini plays an unseeded Czech player, Marie Bouzkova, in the round of 16 later this week, and that’s a match she should win to make the quarters.
Paolini is close to catching Rybakina in the race for the end-of-year showpiece that takes place in Saudi Arabia in November.
Who are the movers and shakers for the WTA Finals
It’s going to be a tournament that the United States will want to watch extremely closely, given the contingent that they will have involved.
A lot of the positions are already decided, with Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, the two players who have definitely confirmed their places at the Saudi Arabia event.
| Rank | Player | Points |
| 1 | Aryna Sabalenka | 9610 |
| 2 | Iga Swiatek | 8098 |
| 3 | Coco Gauff | 5249 |
| 4 | Amanda Anisimova | 4973 |
| 5 | Madison Keys | 4450 |
| 6 | Jessica Pegula | 4273 |
| 7 | Mirra Andreeva | 4254 |
| 8 | Elena Rybakina | 3806 |
| 9 | Jasmine Paolini | 3591 |
It’s the battle between Paolini, Rybakina and Mirra Andreeva that provides the most intrigue, with the final spot looking like a case of two from three.
Paolini looks to have the edge given her form of late and now Rybakina faces an anxious wait to see what the gap will be when the China Open climaxes.
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