Iga Swiatek Inches Closer to World No.1 Ranking After Aryna Sabalenka’s Shocking Qatar Open Exit…

Russian tennis player Ekaterina Alexandrova shocked the world when she defeated World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka on Tuesday in their opening round encounter at the 2025 Qatar Open, and this result could prove to be a favorable outcome for Polish star Iga Swiatek.

Sabalenka was competing in her first tournament since falling to Madison Keys at the 2025 Australian Open final. The Belarusian was hoping to rebound with a strong showing at Doha, but Alexandrova played the match of her life to record a 3-6 6-3 7-6(5) win over the World No.1.

Shocking loss could have huge ranking implications
With Sabalenka suffering an early loss and World No.3 Coco Gauff also falling in her opening round match, Swiatek has become the undeniable favorite to lift the trophy in Doha. With 1,000 ranking points up for grabs, the World No.2 now has a huge opportunity to eat into Sabalenka’s rankings lead by winning the Qatar Open. Should Swiatek accomplish this feat, she will trail Sabalenka by only 186 ranking points.

“It is a bit less pressure,” said Swiatek during her post-match conference. “Honestly, I try not to look at the rankings, even when I was No.1. I guess, you know, heavy is the head that wears the crown, so mine was heavy for a long time, and for sure I’ll be fighting now to get back to No 1, but I wouldn’t say it matters, you know, during the tournaments.
“Me and Aryna are both great players and doesn’t matter, honestly, which number is next to our names.”

There were several upsets on Tuesday at the Qatar Open, with seventh seed Qinwen Zheng losing to two-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur. The resurgent Paula Badosa also suffered a disappointing loss, falling to American Amanda Anisimova in straight sets.