Aryna Sabalenka & Iga Swiatek face massive points penalty for missing mandatory tournaments in bizarre WTA rankings update 

When the WTA updates rankings on Monday, October 27, Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek will lose points, despite not playing in over two weeks. This is because the top two players have broken a rule set by the governing body.

Every player must appear in a minimum of six 500-level tournaments in a season. This year's schedule had a total of 17 such events (all completed), and both Sabalenka and Swiatek played no more than three. If a player violates the rule, there is a deduction in the points she earned at other tournaments

On Sunday, Polish journalist Dominik Senkowski claimed that Sabalenka and Swiatek are set to lose 520 and 508 points, respectively, when the rankings are updated on Monday.

"I have received confirmation from the WTA that Sabalenka will have 9,870 points tomorrow and Iga will have 8,195. Aryna will lose 120 points for Dubai and 400 for the WTA Finals (they previously deducted 10 points for Doha). This is the result of penalty points for not playing in the WTA 500. Iga will lose 508 points - 108 for Stuttgart and 400 for the WTA Finals," Senkowski wrote on X.

The top 10 women's players on Monday, October 27, will be:

1. Aryna Sabalenka
2. Iga Swiatek
3. Coco Gauff
4. Amanda Anisimova
5. Jessica Pegula
6. Elena Rybakina
7. Jasmine Paolini
8. Madison Keys
9. Mirra Andreeva
10. Ekaterina Alexandrova

There were points penalties last Monday, October 20, as well. While Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, and Amanda Anisimova lost 10 points each, Iga Swiatek and Madison Keys were docked 65 and 54 points, respectively. Gauff and Anisimova played three 500-level tournaments in 2025, and Keys played four.

This time, however, the penalties have not impacted the player's rankings, unlike last year, when Sabalenka replaced Swiatek as the World No. 1. In 2024, the Pole had made only two 500-level appearances.

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Which WTA players earned points this week?

Belinda Bencic at the 2025 Toray Pan Pacific Open - Source: Getty

This week, from October 20 to 26, the women's circuit was kept busy with the WTA 500 Pan Pacific Open in Japan and the 250-level Guangzhou Open in China.

Belinda Bencic defeated Linda Nosková in the final in Tokyo for her 10th tour title. The Swiss player picked up 484 points and moved from No. 13 to No. 11 in the rankings. Nosková earned 265 points and jumped four places to No. 13.

Meanwhile, Ann Li, who beat Lulu Sun in the Guangzhou Open summit clash, was one of the biggest gainers in the week. The American collected 218 points and moved 11 places from No. 44 to No. 33. With her runner-up finish, Sun jumped 28 spots and returned to the top 100 at No. 88.

The women's players from No. 11 to No. 25 on Monday, October 27, will be:

11. Belinda Bencic

12. Clara Tauson

13. Linda Nosková

14. Elina Svitolina

15. Qinwen Zheng

16. Emma Navarro

17. Naomi Osaka

18. Ludmilla Samsonova

19. Diana Shnaider

20. Karolína Muchová

21. Elise Mertens

22. Victoria Mboko

23. Leylah Fernandez

24. Jeļena Ostapenko

25. Paula Badosa

Edited by Parag Jain