Champions Corner: A new year, new level of dominance for top four players

There’s a term in business that describes what happens when competition between companies raises their respective games -- dynamic tension.

Over the first week of the 2024 season, we saw the same concept, the same thrilling trajectory at work at the very top of women’s tennis.

Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff and Elena Rybakina finished the 2023 as the top-ranked players on the Hologic WTA Tour. And now there’s evidence that, after a mere two-month break, they are even better.

No.1 Swiatek was 5-0 in singles, carrying Poland to the United Cup final. No.2 Sabalenka advanced to the Brisbane final by winning her 15^th straight in Australia -- where on Sunday she lost to No.4 Rybakina 6-0, 6-3. No.3 Coco Gauf defended her title at the ASB Classic in Auckland.

They’ve all introduced new wrinkles to their already advanced games. And so, the rich got richer, further separating themselves from the rest of the field. Their success, not surprisingly, is interrelated.

Let’s start with Swiatek. She took it personally when Sabalenka seized her No.1 ranking after the US Open. How did Swiatek respond? The 22-year-old won her last 11 matches of the year, in Beijing and Cancun, to take it back.

Swiatek has already won four Grand Slams with little play from the front of the court. That seems to be changing. After beating France 3-0 in the United Cup semifinal, Swiatek talked about the new emphasis.

“I played two volleys today and also one drive volley,” she said proudly. “This is something that we worked on, me going forward a little bit and not always staying on the baseline. I’m taking more shots from the air. If we’re going to get this done, I’m going to be a player that has a more complete game than before.”

Sabalenka, hungry to return to No.1, said she spent the offseason working on her fitness and serve, in that order. And then she ripped through her first four matches, dropping only 15 games.

“We worked a lot to make sure I bring the same consistency in the game in the next season, also make sure that physically I’m ready for long matches,” Sabalenka said. “Hopefully we’ll see my improvement on court this season.”

One year ago, Rybakina lost to Sabalenka in the Australian Open final, leaving her 0-4 for her career against Sabalenka. But Rybakina changed the narrative. She beat Sabalenka in the Indian Wells final last March (defeating Swiatek in the semifinals) and has now won three of the past four. On Sunday in Brisbane, Rybakina served flawlessly, stroking seven aces and zero double faults, winning 31 of her 45 service points.

Champions Reel: How Elena Rybakina won Brisbane 2024

“I’m happy with the variety of my serve because I think it changed a little bit,” she said afterward. “It’s not only about the speed, it’s placement and the moments to see when to change. I think in this aspect, I improved a bit.”

In Auckland, Gauff displayed her new super power, problem solving.

She dropped the first set to Elina Svitolina, then came back to win 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-3. Gauff, still only 19 years old, lost the first set three times at last year’s US Open but found her way to the title.

Champions Reel: How Coco Gauff won Auckland 2024

“I think today level-wise was definitely not my best match or best level this week,” she said. “But sometimes when you win when you’re not playing your best, it makes you feel more satisfied.”

This first fabulous week played out on courts in Perth, Sydney, Brisbane and Auckland. If only there was a way to get these four players -- clear favorites for the season’s four Grand Slams, along with Naomi Osaka -- in the same place.

Oh, wait. The Australian Open begins in less than a week.

In their words: Siegemund and Kerber after clinching United Cup

Laura Siegemund: "I've played important mixed doubles in the Slams, but it's just a different feeling when you have, you know, other players working very hard in their singles matches to get those points, and then it kind of comes down to you.

"I came in after a while into the mixed, not from the beginning, and I think you carry different on your shoulders. You know, you don't play only for you. You play for the whole team. You play for the people that got the points in the singles"

Angelique Kerber: "I played good matches, tough ones. But of course the match yesterday where I was feeling great on court again and I was feeling the emotions, the energy on court. And the whole 10 days here, it was amazing.

"This is what I really missed, to be honest. I really miss to play in front of the crowds. Playing also for Germany is always an honor, especially with this amazing team and the background, and having so many good matches."

Quote of the Week

"I just swing so hard and I hit myself with the racquet. Yeah, thanks God nothing serious happened there. I'm just strong."

-- Aryna Sabalenka, after being asked why she clutched her back in pain after hitting a forehand after the Brisbane semifinal.

Surprises of the Week

United Cup: Team Norway

While most teams brought five or six players to the United Cup, Norway brought four. ATP No.11 Casper Ruud was joined by WTA No.544 Malene Helgo, doubles No.37 Ulrikke Eikeri and  ATP No.1672 Andreja Petrovic. Outmatched on paper, Norway found a way to win a group that included Croatia and the Netherlands to advance to the quarterfinals. Helgo was a revelation during the tie, taking Donna Vekic and Caroline Garcia the distance.

Brisbane: Linda Noskova

Noskova won three consecutive three-setters, then knocked off fellow teenager Mirra Andreeva in the Brisbane quarterfinals. Noskova, 19, fell to eventual champion Rybakina but showed she is not going anywhere after an auspicious 2023 season that included runs to the Prague Open final and the Round of 16 in Cincinnati. 

Auckland: Wang Xiyu

Wang reached the Auckland semifinals and put up a good fight before falling to Elina Svitolina in three sets. The run ended a three-match losing streak for the unseeded Wang to close out the 2023 season. 

Our top five stats

16: Iga Swiatek has quietly built the second longest win streak of her career. She has not lost since the Toray Pan Pacific last fall, sweeping titles in Beijing, the WTA Finals, and going undefeated this week at the United Cup.

15: The Brisbane final was Elena Rybakina's 15th WTA tournament final. Since 2019, the year she made her first final in Bucharest, only two players have made more: Swiatek (21) and Aryna Sabalenka (19).

15: The Brisbane quarterfinal featuring Mirra Andreeva and Linda Noskova was the first quarterfinal between two teenagers at a WTA 500 event or higher in 15 years. The last came at the 2009 US Open between Caroline Wozniacki and Melanie Oudin.

8: Players who have won 100 matches as a World No.1. Iga Swiatek became the eighth with her win over Zheng Qinwen in the United Cup quarterfinals.

2: Coco Gauff captured her seventh career title in Auckland. Since 2000, only two teenagers have won more: Maria Sharapova (15) and Kim Clijsters (12).

Photo of the Week

Point of the Week

Close, but not quite: Sabalenka's tweener attempt sparks laughter

The stars are out