Who is the world No.1 in women’s tennis? Updated WTA rankings and explainer after Australian Open

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 but younger players have emerged to stake their claim for the crown.  

Iga Swiatek was briefly usurped at the summit but has now re-gained her top rank.

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

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

Iga Swiatek returned to the top of the rankings after taking out the WTA Finals in Cancun.

She has still maintained her position at the summit despite crashing out of the Australian Open in the third round.

WTA women’s singles rankings

Ranking
Change
Name
Points
1
–
Iga Swiatek
10,560
2
–
Aryna Sabalenka
7,848
3
–
Coco Gauff
7,258
4
–
Elena Rybakina
6,293
5
–
Jessica Pegula
4,870
6
–
Maria Sakkari
4,195
8
–
Qinwen Zheng
4,000
7
–
Marketa Vondrousova
4,090
9
–
Ons Jabeur
3,533
10
–
Jelena Ostapenko
3,438
*Last updated April 30, 2024

Check out the full WTA rankings here.

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. 

Author(s)

Joshua Mayne is a content producer for The Sporting News Australia.

Kieran Francis is a senior editor at Sporting News Australia.