Aryna Sabalenka had held the number one ranking since October, 2024.
The Belarusian has been a class above on the WTA Tour, holding off the likes of Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina, and Coco Gauff.
Following her fourth-round win at the Miami Open, Sabalenka was told how many weeks she’s been ranked number one.
Is Aryna Sabalenka vs Elena Rybakina the best rivalry in women’s tennis right now?
If not, who is?
She couldn’t quite believe the number…
Aryna Sabalenka says 83 weeks at number one is ‘crazy’
During an interview with ‘Tennis Channel‘, Sabalenka gave her verdict on the statistic.
“Wow,” she said.
“That’s an impressive number.
“Crazy!”
Sabalenka was then asked if she pays much attention to those statistics.
“No, not the ranking stats,” she said.
“Ranking is important, but not really important.
“I think it’s all about how you improve your game, how you focus on getting better as a player and a person every day.
“I think it’s all about that and trying to focus on the right thing.”
Sabalenka may not be keeping track of the numbers, but they are certainly worth a mention.
The Belarusian now sits 11th in the all-time list for weeks at number one.
WTA Weeks at number one
| Rank | Name | Weeks at number one | Most consecutive weeks |
| 1 | Steffi Graf | 377 | 186 |
| 2 | Martina Navratilova | 332 | 156 |
| 3 | Serena Williams | 319 | 186 |
| 4 | Chris Evert | 260 | 113 |
| 5 | Martina Hingis | 209 | 80 |
| 6 | Monica Seles | 178 | 91 |
| 7 | Iga Swiatek | 125 | 75 |
| 8 | Ash Barty | 121 | 114 |
| 9 | Justine Henin | 117 | 61 |
| 10 | Lindsay Davenport | 98 | 44 |
| 11 | Aryna Sabalenka | 83* | 75* |
She does, however, have a mountain to climb if she wants to take the top spot.
Sabalenka would need to hold the number-one ranking from now until November 2031 to surpass Steffi Graf’s record.
With all due respect to Sabalenka, that seems unlikely.
There’s no reason why she can’t embed herself in the top 10, though, especially when looking at the gap she has to her closest rivals in the world rankings.
Live WTA Rankings
| Rank | Name | Points | Gap to #1 |
| 1 | Aryna Sabalenka | 10,240 | – |
| 2 | Elena Rybakina | 7,933 | 2,307 |
| 3 | Iga Swiatek | 7,263 | 2,977 |
| 4 | Coco Gauff | 7,018 | 3,222 |
| 5 | Jessica Pegula | 6,243 | 3,997 |
| 6 | Amanda Anisimova | 6,180 | 4,060 |
| 7 | Elina Svitolina | 3,965 | 6,275 |
| 8 | Jasmine Paolini | 3,907 | 6,333 |
| 9 | Victoria Mboko | 3,531 | 6,709 |
| 10 | Mirra Andreeva | 3,121 | 7,119 |
Sabalenka leads world number two Rybakina by over 2,000 points.
She could yet extend that gap in Miami…
Aryna Sabalenka previews Miami Open quarterfinal vs Hailey Baptiste
Returning as the defending champion, Sabalenka has made her way through to the Miami Open quarterfinals without dropping a set.
2026 Miami Open women’s singles quarterfinals
- [1] Aryna Sabalenka vs Hailey Baptiste
- [3] Elena Rybakina vs [5] Jessica Pegula
- [4] Coco Gauff defeated [12] Belinda Bencic
- [13] Karolina Muchova defeated [10] Victoria Mboko
Sabalenka will take on America’s Hailey Baptiste in the quarterfinals.
The Belarusian was surprised to hear she hadn’t met Baptiste before when previewing her quarterfinal match.
“Is it really the first meeting?” Sabalenka asked.
“I really thought we played somewhere…
“But I’ve been watching her game, especially here in Miami.
“She is playing incredible tennis, serving well.
“She has a great variety in her game, not an easy opponent, but I’m really looking forward to facing her.”
Baptiste has looked mightily impressive in Miami, reaching her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal without dropping a set.
Hailey Baptiste at the 2026 Miami Open
- Miami Open 1R [WIN] vs Tatjana Maria, 7-5, 6-2
- Miami Open 2R [WIN] vs Liudmila Samsonova, 6-3, 7-5
- Miami Open 3R [WIN] vs Elina Svitolina, 6-3, 7-5
- Miami Open 4R [WIN] vs Jelena Ostapenko, 6-3, 6-4
She will, of course, walk on court as a big underdog against Sabalenka, but shouldn’t be taken lightly.
If Sabalenka can avoid the upset, she’d advance to the semifinals to meet either Rybakina or Jessica Pegula, with Gauff or Karolina Muchova waiting in the final.
Only time will tell who will emerge victorious in Miami…
Sabalenka will play Baptiste for a place in the Miami Open semifinals on Wednesday, March 25.
