Aryna Sabalenka has just joined a very exclusive group of WTA players after starting her 80th week as world number one.
Sabalenka has reached the significant milestone just ahead of Indian Wells, where she is the number one seed.
WTA superstar Sabalenka has a tricky Indian Wells draw, but she remains one of the favorites to lift the trophy in California.
And she’s just been given a nice confidence boost before the event, becoming just the 11th player to reach 80 career weeks at number one.
Aryna Sabalenka or Iga Swiatek… who do you prefer? 🤔
Aryna Sabalenka reaches 80 career weeks as WTA number one
Dating back to the start of the WTA rankings in 1975, only 10 women had previously achieved the feat.
Sabalenka has now joined the list, which includes many legendary figures such as Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova.
The current world number one is also just the sixth player to reach the total this century, following in the footsteps of Martina Hingis, Serena Williams, Justine Henin, Ashleigh Barty and current rival Iga Swiatek.
Next up in the list for Sabalenka to surpass is Lindsay Davenport, who fell just two weeks short of 100 as world number one.
The current WTA top 10 ahead of Indian Wells
The Sunshine Swing has now arrived on the WTA Tour, having started out with the Merida Open and the ATX Open.
Cristina Bucsa emerged victorious at the former in Mexico, while Peyton Stearns clinched the latter title in Austin, Texas.
The busy calendar now continues with back-to-back WTA 1000 tournaments; Indian Wells and the Miami Open.
| Rank | Player | Age | Points |
| 1 | Aryna Sabalenka | 27 | 10,675 |
| 2 | Iga Swiatek | 24 | 7,588 |
| 3 | Elena Rybakina | 26 | 7,253 |
| 4 | Coco Gauff | 21 | 6,803 |
| 5 | Jessica Pegula | 32 | 6,583 |
| 6 | Amanda Anisimova | 24 | 6,070 |
| 7 | Jasmine Paolini | 30 | 4,232 |
| 8 | Mirra Andreeva | 18 | 4,001 |
| 9 | Elina Svitolina | 31 | 3,845 |
| 10 | Victoria Mboko | 19 | 3,211 |
World number eight Mirra Andreeva is the current defending champion in California, while Sabalenka secured the title in Miami in 2025.
That same duo played out the Indian Wells final last time out, when Andreeva shocked Sabalenka with a comeback 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 win.
Who is your money on?
The Russian made history of her own back then, becoming the youngest Indian Wells champion after Hingis and Williams.
Aged just 17, Andreeva also beat Iga Swiatek en route to the title, which arrived shortly after her WTA 1000 Dubai success.
