Williams beat fellow American Madison Keys in the final in Rome to set herself up nicely for Roland Garros.
Second place in the rankings was reclaimed by Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska from Germany’s Angelique Kerber, who suffered an early exit in the Italian capital.
Elsewhere, Victoria Azarenka moved up a place to fifth at the expense of Romania’s Simona Halep and Timea Bacsinszky and Flavia Pennetta were also climbers in the top 10.
WTA top 20
1. Serena Williams (USA) 9,030 pts
2. Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) 5,850 (+1)
3. Angelique Kerber (GER) 5,740 (-1)
4. Garbine Muguruza (ESP) 5,196
5. Victoria Azarenka (BLR) 4,341 (+1)
6. Simona Halep (ROM) 4,301 (-1)
7. Roberta Vinci (ITA) 3,505
8. Belinda Bencic (SUI) 3,330
9. Timea Bacsinszky (SUI) 3,150 (+1)
10. Flavia Pennetta (ITA) 2,963 (+3)
11. Venus Williams (USA) 2,886 (+3)
12. Petra Kvitova (CZE) 2,878 (-3)
13. Lucie Safarova (CZE) 2,843 (+2)
14. Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP) 2,585 (-3)
15. Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) 2,585 (+4)
16. Ana Ivanovic (SRB) 2,560
17. Madison Keys (USA) 2,541 (+7)
18. Sara Errani (ITA) 2,450
19. Karolina Pliskova (CZE) 2,420 (+1)
20. Elina Svitolina (UKR) 2,416 (-3)
source: sports.inquirer.net
