The hunt for the No. 2 spot in the WTA rankings will continue at the 2025 Italian Open, with the likes of Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula aiming to replace Iga Świątek. Aryna Sabalenka heads into the WTA 1000 event with 10,478 live points, firmly holding the World No. 1 ranking by a significant margin.
Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula could pose a serious threat to Iga Świątek’s No. 2 spot at the Italian Open
The defending champion, Świątek, has 1000 points at stake at the Italian Open. Following her semifinal exit in Madrid, the Pole, who’d won the tournament in 2024, came down to 6773 points in the WTA rankings but retained the No. 2 spot. With yet another title defense underway in the Italian capital, though, she’s entered with 5,783 live points.
Gauff and her compatriot Pegula, currently ranked No. 3 and No. 4, respectively, could overtake the Pole at the tournament. After finishing as a runner-up at the 2025 Madrid Open, Gauff leapfrogged to the No. 3 spot with 6603 points, narrowing the gap between her and Swiatek to 170 points. The American has entered the event in Rome with 6,213 live points, as she is tasked with defending 390 points from her semifinal run last year.
Pegula’s unexpected third-round exit at the Madrid Open allowed Gauff to surpass her in the rankings, leaving her with 6,243 points. The 31-year-old has entered the Italian Open with no points to defend, having missed the previous edition due to a neck injury.
Gauff and Pegula thus lead Świątek in the live WTA rankings, and a deep run for either in Rome could see the Pole relinquish her No. 2 spot, which she has held for almost three years. Meanwhile, a victory in Rome, coupled with early exits for the Americans, could secure the No. 2 ranking for the Pole.
Iga Świątek Enters the Italian Open Following a Disappointing Finish in Madrid
Gauff secured a convincing 6-1, 6-1 triumph over Świątek in the Madrid Open semifinal, dashing her hopes for a title defense. While speaking to reporters after the match, the five-time Major champion took full ownership of the defeat and offered a candid critique of her performance.
“Honestly, there’s nothing to walk through because it was all pretty much the same from the beginning to the end. I couldn’t really get my level up. Coco played good, but, yeah, I think it’s on me that I didn’t really move well; I wasn’t ready to play back the shots with heaviness. With that kind of game, it was pretty bad,” she said.
The emotions seemingly got the better of the Pole in the second set of the match. After hitting the ball into the net, Świątek uttered a few derogatory words in Polish and faced a code violation from the umpire.
The world No. 2 hasn’t won a title this season despite enjoying deep runs at several tournaments, including the Madrid Open, the Australian Open, and the BNP Paribas Open.
In the hopes of bettering her results, Świątek, who received a first-round bye at the Italian Open, starts her campaign in the second round against either Elisabetta Cocciaretto or Elina Avanesyan.
