Iga Swiatek, the four-time Grand Slam champion, began her 88th week at the top of the WTA Rankings on Monday. However, her lead has been diminished to 865 points after Aryna Sabalenka successfully defended her title at Melbourne Park. Sabalenka put on a dominant display throughout the tournament, winning the championship without dropping a single set. In the upcoming weeks, Swiatek will have to defend a significant number of points at the Qatar Open and the Abu Dhabi Championships, providing Sabalenka with an opportunity to close the gap.
Following her impressive run to the semi-finals in Melbourne, Coco Gauff has returned to the No. 3 spot in the rankings. This achievement also marks the first time in her career that she has surpassed the 7,000-point mark, with her current tally standing at 7,200. On the other hand, Elena Rybakina experienced a setback, dropping two places to No. 5 after her early exit from the Australian tournament.
Among the notable rankings shifts, Qinwen Zheng emerged as the undeniable winner, breaking into the top 10 for the first time in her career. Zheng climbed eight places to secure the No. 7 spot following her impressive performance in Melbourne, where she reached the final. Svitolina also made a noteworthy move, advancing four places to No. 19 after reaching the fourth round of the hard-court Grand Slam. This marks her return to the top 20 since May 2022.
The Australian Open yielded significant advancements for several players. Dayana Yastremska soared an impressive 64 places to claim the No. 29 ranking after her semi-final appearance, while Linda Noskova moved up 20 spots to secure the spot just behind Yastremska. Mirra Andreeva, a 16-year-old rising star, continued her ascent in the rankings, reaching a career-high No. 37 after climbing 12 places. Anna Kalinskaya also experienced a substantial rise, jumping 37 places to No. 38.
Maria Timofeeva made the most significant leap into the top 100, climbing an impressive 70 places to secure the No. 100 ranking. Timofeeva’s remarkable performance in Melbourne, including successfully navigating the qualifying rounds and reaching the fourth round, propelled her into this milestone. In terms of British players, Katie Boulter holds the highest ranking at No. 54, followed by Jodie Burrage at No. 102, Harriet Dart at No. 104, and Heather Watson at No. 139. Emma Raducanu currently sits at No. 295 after winning a match at the Australian Open.
Here is the current top 20 in the WTA Rankings:
1. Iga Swiatek (Poland) – 9,770 points
2. Aryna Sabalenka – 8,905
3. Coco Gauff (United States) – 7,200
4. Jessica Pegula (United States) – 5,705
5. Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan) – 5,688
6. Ons Jabeur (Tunisia) – 4,076
7. Qinwen Zheng (China) – 3,950
8. Marketa Vondrousova (Czech Republic) – 3,846
9. Maria Sakkari (Greece) – 3,710
10. Karolina Muchova (Czech Republic) – 3,520
11. Barbora Krejcikova (Czech Republic) – 3,081
12. Jelena Ostapenko (Latvia) – 3,028
13. Beatriz Haddad Maia (Brazil) – 2,950
14. Daria Kasatkina – 2,838
15. Liudmila Samsonova – 2,700
16. Veronika Kudermetova – 2,495
17. Madison Keys (United States) – 2,478
18. Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) – 2,465
19. Elina Svitolina (Ukraine) – 2,212
20. Caroline Garcia (France) – 2,160
According to the Source tennis365.com