Polish tennis star Iga Świątek has officially fallen from the No. 2 spot in the WTA rankings. The update comes with the release of this week’s women’s rankings following the conclusion of the 2025 Italian Open. It could also prove to be a mental hurdle for the Pole as she gears up to defend her title at the French Open.
Świątek has yet to hit her stride in the 2025 season, especially on clay. Despite enjoying deep runs in notable tournaments, including the Australian Open, the BNP Paribas Open, and the Madrid Open, she couldn’t secure a title in any of those.
Iga Świątek Leaves Top 2 for the First Time in Nearly Three Years
After repeated early exits, unlike last year, and a semifinal loss to Coco Gauff in Madrid, the Italian Open was a must-win for the defending champion to hold onto her No. 2 ranking ahead of her title defense at Roland Garros. She entered Rome with live points significantly lower than Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula, who were right behind her in the rankings.
Świątek contested the WTA 1000 event as the second seed and played exceptionally well against Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the second round, winning 6-1, 6-0. She, however, lost to the USA’s Danielle Collins in the third round, 6-1, 7-5. With that, she failed to defend her 1000 points. It was thus confirmed that Świątek would fall from the No. 2 spot for the first time in nearly three years, with Gauff and Pegula leapfrogging her.
The same happened on Monday, May 19, as the WTA rankings were updated. Gauff, who finished as the runner-up, rose to No. 2, while Pegula, despite a third-round exit, regained the No. 3 spot.
Down goes the Defending Champion 🤯@danimalcollins breezes past Swiatek to secure her spot in Round 4.#IBI25 pic.twitter.com/cp68EkOUgS
— wta (@WTA)
Moreover, due to a triumphant run on her home soil, Jasmine Paolini also overtook the Pole to return to her career-high ranking of No. 4. Aryna Sabalenka, meanwhile, firmly held the No. 1 spot by a considerable margin, despite a quarterfinal exit.
Iga Świątek entered last year’s French Open in formidable form, having swept titles in Madrid and Rome, but the build-up has been far less commanding this year.
Iga Świątek Revealed What Went Wrong in Rome Heartbreak Ahead of Her French Open Campaign
Świątek was seemingly disappointed by her performance following a second-round exit in Rome. In her post-match press conference, she admitted that focusing entirely on her mistakes led to the setback.
“I don’t know. Well, I think I just wasn’t there present to, like, fight and to compete. I focused on mistakes. It’s my mistake, and I’m not doing things right. So yeah, the focus is on the wrong things from my side and I’ll try to change that,” she said.
The 23-year-old remains one of the most dominant players on clay, as evidenced by her impressive run last year. She’ll aim to improve her 27–9 record this season with a deep run, or possibly a title in Paris, marking her sixth Grand Slam crown.