(Provided by Tennis World USA)
Iga Swiatek will keep her world No 1 position after Wimbledon as Aryna Sabalenka missed out on a golden chance to replace the Pole at the top spot. On Thursday, Sabalenka had her best chance at reaching the world No 1 as she would have secured the top spot with a Wimbledon semifinal win over Ons Jabeur.
In the Wimbledon semifinal, Sabalenka was up by a set and a break and appeared to be heading toward a straight-set win over Jabeur. But then, Jabeur overturned the deficit to beat Sabalenka 6-7 (5) 6-4 6-3. Sabalenka had a 7-6 (5) 4-2 lead when her game stunningly shut down and she lost the match.
Sabalenka had everything in her hands after Swiatek’s loss
On Tuesday, Swiatek was upset by Elina Svitolina in the Wimbledon quarterfinal. When that happened, Sabalenka knew everything was in her hands when it came to the world No 1 ranking.
At that moment, 25-year-old Sabalenka needed to reach the Wimbledon final – not even to win the title – and the world No 1 ranking would have been hers. On Wednesday, Sabalenka defeated Madison Keys and came just a win away from replacing Swiatek at the world No 1 spot.
After beating Keys, Sabalenka tried to pump the brakes on…
