Tennis: Dubai victory lifts Krejcikova into WTA Top 20

PARIS, France -- Barbora Krejcikova was rewarded for her victory in Dubai, where she beat the top three players in the world, with a return to the Top 20 after climbing 14 places in the new WTA rankings released on Monday.

The 27-year-old Czech, who won the French Open in 2021, is up to No. 16 following her remarkable performance in Dubai. 

In successive matches, she came back from losing the first set 6-0 to defeat world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in the quarterfinals, the American world No. 3 Jessica Pegula in the semis and then, in straight sets, Iga Swiatek in the final.

It is a welcome return to the higher echelons of the game for Krejcikova who a year ago was ranked No. 2. 

In spite of the defeat Swiatek remains the No. 1 by a clear margin. 

Liudmila Samsonova (12th) and Beatriz Haddad (13th) swap places while Ekaterina Alexandrova (18th) and the Romanian Simona Halep, the former world No. 1, now 19th, slip two spots. 

Two-time Grand Slam winner Halep has not played since losing to qualifier Daria Snigur in the first round of last year's US Open. In October she was provisionally suspended for a positive drugs test.

Rankings (players representing Russia and Belarus are banned from competing under the name or flag of their countries):

1. Iga Swiatek (POL) 10585 pts

2. Aryna Sabalenka 6100

3. Jessica Pegula (USA) 5495

4. Ons Jabeur (TUN) 4921

5. Caroline Garcia (FRA) 4835

6. Cori Gauff (USA) 4251

7. Maria Sakkari (GRE) 3451

8. Daria Kasatkina 3375

9. Belinda Bencic (SUI) 3360

10. Elena Rybakina (KAZ) 2935

11. Veronika Kudermetova 2620

12. Liudmila Samsonova 2301 (+1)

13. Beatriz Haddad Maia (BRA) 2256 (-1)

14. Victoria Azarenka 2237

15. Petra Kvitova (CZE) 2227

16. Barbora Krejcikova (CZE) 2205 (+14)

17. Karolína Plískova (CZE) 2045 (+1)

18. Ekaterina Alexandrova 2030 (-2)

19. Simona Halep (ROM) 1955 (-2)

20. Madison Keys (USA) 1857 (+3)

Agence France-Presse

Wimbledon champ Halep up to No. 4 WTA rankings, Serena No. 9

WIMBLEDON, England — Simona Halep’s Wimbledon championship lifted her from No. 7 to No. 4 in the WTA rankings on Monday, while runner-up Serena Williams moved up one spot to No. 9, her best placing since returning to the tour last season after having a baby.

Halep beat Williams in Saturday’s final with surprising ease, 6-2, 6-2.

Coco Gauff’s magical run from a wild-card entry in qualifying all the way to the fourth round at the All England Club allowed her to move into the WTA’s top 150 for the first time.

The 15-year-old American rose 172 places to No. 141 from No. 313 before the tournament. Gauff was the youngest player to ever qualify for the main draw at Wimbledon, then beat five-time champion Venus Williams on the way to reaching the fourth round. That is when Gauff lost to eventual champion Halep.

Two other big jumps came from Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic and Lauren Davis of the U.S.

The 33-year-old Strycova became the oldest first-time Grand Slam semifinalist in the professional era before losing to Williams, allowing her to move up 22 places to No. 32. Strycova also took over at No. 1 in the doubles rankings on Monday by winning that title at Wimbledon.


After losing in qualifying, Davis made it into the main draw when someone else withdrew. She then eliminated Angelique Kerber in the second round to become the first “lucky loser” to beat a defending champion at a major in the professional era and went up 13 spots to 75th.

Kerber dropped from No. 5 to 13th.

French Open champion Ash Barty remains at No. 1 in singles, followed by two-time major champion Naomi Osaka and Karolina Pliskova.

Wimbledon men’s champ Novak Djokovic stayed atop the ATP rankings after his 7-6 (5), 1-6, 7-6 (4), 4-6, 13-12 (3) victory over Roger Federer on Sunday in the longest final in tournament history. Rafael Nadal is No. 2 and Federer is No. 3.

Roberto Bautista Agut, who lost to Djokovic in the semifinals, went from No. 22 to No. 13, equaling his career high.

Daniil Medvedev’s third-round showing let him crack the top 10 for the first time at No. 10; he was ranked 13th before Wimbledon. Sam Querrey, beaten by Nadal in the quarterfinals, lifted his ranking by 26 spots to No. 39.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Serena Williams reinforces huge rankings lead

Serena Williams reinforced her huge lead at the top of the WTA rankings a week out from the start of the French Open after winning the Italian Open on Sunday.

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