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Aryna Sabalenka has achieved a lifelong dream as she will finish the 2024 season as the year-end No 1 in the WTA Rankings while Coco Gauff and Zheng Qinwen scored big at the WTA Finals.

Having returned to No 1 on October 21 as she replaced Iga Swiatek, Sabalenka has now spent four consecutive weeks at the top to take her tally to 12 weeks.

She has moved ahead of the great Venus Williams for most weeks at No 1 as the American sits on 11 weeks. The Belarusian is now in a tie for 23rd with Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and Ana Ivanovic with Jennifer Capriati ahead of them on 17 weeks.

Sabalenka, though, is set to climb up the list in the coming months as she assured of spending at least another 10 weeks at No 1 after she secured the year-end No 1 ranking following her run to the semi-final at the WTA Finals.

The three-time Grand Slam winner finishes the year with 9,416 points – a 1,046-point advantage over Swiatek, which will likely keep her at the top until after the 2025 Australian Open.

The 2024 WTA Tour season was a successful one for Sabalenka as she won two Grand Slams, two WTA 1000 events and returned to No 1.

“I think I achieved a lot this season, and there is no room for disappointment, I believe. I just have to be proud of myself,” the 26-year-old said.

“I won two majors, became world No 1, finished the year world No 1 as I wanted last year.”

Gauff was the big winner at the season-ending event in Riyadh as she defeated Swiatek, Sabalenka and Zheng en route to lifting the WTA Finals trophy.

The American picked up 1,300 points for her efforts and solidified position No 3 as she is 1,186 points ahead of Jasmine Paolini, who is now under pressure from Zheng.

The Chinese star moved up two places to a career-high No 5 following her run to the final while Elena Rybakina and Jessica Pegula both drop one place.

Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova reached the semi-final of the WTA Finals and she returns to the top 10 after moving up three places.

With the rest of the WTA Tour wrapping up last week, there were no further changes in the top 20.

Paolini (4), Emma Navarro (8) and Mirra Andreeva (16) will end the 2024 season in career-high positions in the top 20.

1. Aryna Sabalenka – 9,416
2. Iga Swiatek Poland – 8,370 points
3. Coco Gauff United States – 6,530
4. Jasmine Paolini Italy – 5,344
5. Zheng Qinwen China – 5,340
6. Elena Rybakina Kazakhstan – 5,171
7. Jessica Pegula United States – 4,705
8. Emma Navarro United States – 3,589
9. Daria Kasatkina – 3,368
10. Barbora Krejcikova Czech Republic – 3,214
11. Danielle Collins United States – 3,178
12. Paula Badosa Spain – 2,908
13. Diana Shnaider – 2,895
14. Anna Kalinskaya – 2,743
15. Jelena Ostapenko Latvia – 2,588
16. Mirra Andreeva – 2,578
17. Beatriz Hadid Maia Brazil – 2,554
18. Marta Kostyuk Ukraine – 2,493
19. Donna Vekic Croatia – 2,258
20. Victoria Azarenka – 2,127