Aryna Sabalenka will have to make tennis history if she wants to retain her Cincinnati Open crown.
The World No. 1 has won two WTA 1000 events this year and became the third woman to reach over 11,000 points after winning the Madrid Open.
The Belarusian has not won a Grand Slam title this year, with Sabalenka most recently crashing out of Wimbledon in the semi-finals.
The star has been handed an incredibly tricky Cincinnati Open draw, which could see the World No. 1 make unwanted history.
Aryna Sabalenka could face six Grand Slam champions at Cincinnati Open
Despite top seeding at the latest WTA 1000 event, Sabalenka has been handed a tough test from the outset in Cincinnati.
Sabalenka will play either Markéta Vondroušová or Jaqueline Cristian in the second round, and if she plays the former it could kick start a crazy run of six Grand Slam champion opponents in Cincinnati.
Sabalenka is in the same side of the draw as Emma Raducanu, Venus Williams, Elena Rybakina, Madison Keys, and Iga Swiatek.
Should Sabalenka make it past some of those legends, a potential final meeting against Sofia Kenin, Naomi Osaka, Barbara Krejcikova, Jelena Ostapenko, or Coco Gauff is likely.
If Sabalenka does retain her title in Cincinnati, there will be no doubt that the World No. 1 would have earned it.
Aryna Sabalenka celebrates incredible career milestone
Sabalenka recently celebrated 50 weeks as World No. 1 as the Belarusian closes in on one full year at the top of the rankings.
The Belarusian replaced Swiatek at the top of the rankings after her victory at the 2024 US Open last August.
After 50 weeks at the top of the WTA Rankings, Sabalenka has become just the 14th player to celebrate that feat.
Sabalenka is nearly 5000 ranking points above World No. 2 Gauff, so it’s likely she’ll be holding the top spot for a long time.