Aryna Sabalenka may not be playing at the moment, but her name still remains hugely relevant in the grand scheme of the WTA.
After all, when she opts out of an event, it really feels as though the title has been freed up, given how her dominant quality leaves many expecting her to win most events at a canter.
Alas, she remains without a Grand Slam title in 2025, a feat thought impossible after last year’s heroics.
Losing in the finals of both the Australian Open and Roland Garros will have crushed the Belarusian, before Amanda Anisimova then defeated her in the Wimbledon semi-finals too.
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Now, Sabalenka could join an unwanted list if she fails to win the US Open.
That is not all that she should be worrying about ahead of Cincinnati and the final major of the year.
Iga Swiatek is thriving on hard courts again
After all, Iga Swiatek is on the charge, and seems to have taken to the North American hard courts with frightening ease.
Normally, Aryna Sabalenka has showcased a dominance like no other on this surface, exhibited last year when she stormed to the Cincinnati Open title before then cruising to US Open glory as well.
However, with Swiatek having swept through her opening two matches at the Canadian Open, as the already-weakened draw has continued to fall apart, the Polish player is now the overwhelming favourite to claim this Masters 1000 title.
Given Sabalenka pulled out of the Canadian Open, it might provide her 24-year-old rival with the perfect platform to thrive on this surface and head into the next few events brimming with confidence.
And, should she win in Montreal, and go deep in Cincinnati and New York, the pressure it would put on the three-time Grand Slam champion’s number one spot could terrify the world’s top-ranked woman.
Aryna Sabalenka could soon lose the world number one spot
With Swiatek on the war path, whilst Sabalenka has plenty of points to defend, this could be the start of a dramatic rankings swing that sees the latter’s biggest fear come true.
After all, at one stage she would have felt like nobody could touch her in terms of her ranking, so comfortably atop the charts.
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But now, with Swiatek potentially on track to gain 1000, the comeback has begun.
If the youngster manages to win or go deep in both Cincinnati and the US Open, whilst Sabalenka fails to at least reach the finals, the swing in ranking points won and lost by both could draw them dangerously close together.
Before the year is over, there might well be nothing in it.