ATP Rankings: Jannik Sinner opens 2,000+ point gap, Taylor Fritz remains American No 1, Frances Tiafoe +7
Jannik Sinner has given himself breathing space at the top of the ATP Rankings thanks to his Cincinnati Open title run while Frances Tiafoe is back in the top 20 after finishing runner-up.
Sinner has been at the top of the rankings since the French Open and will now remain at No 1 until at least October 6 as he has opened a 2,300-point lead over second-placed Novak Djokovic with Carlos Alcaraz a further 100 points behind in third place.
The Italian sits on 9,760 points and he will drop only 180 points at the US Open while Djokovic will drop 2,000 points and Alcaraz 720.
In the worst-case scenario where Sinner loses in the first round at Flushing Meadows and Alcaraz or fourth-placed Alexander Zverev go on to win the title, Sinner will still lead the standings by 900-plus points after the final Grand Slam of the year.
The US Open is followed by the Davis Cup and Laver Cup, the next big points swing will be the China Open at the end of September where Sinner is the defending champion so will drop 500 points, but Alcaraz and Zverev have 180 points to defend and even if one of them go on to win the title, they won’t get past Sinner.
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The Shanghai Masters will be the first opportunity for the rest to usurp Sinner with the ATP Masters 1000 tournament running September 30 until October 6 with the rankings then updated on October 7.
The rest of the top 10 remains unchanged with Zverev followed by Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Hubert Hurkacz, Casper Ruud, Grigor Dimitrov and Alex de Minaur.
Taylor Fritz will head into his home Grand Slam as the top-ranked American despite his early exit from the Cincinnati Open.
The world No 12 lost in the first round and Ben Shelton had the opportunity to overtake him with a run to the semi-final, but the 21-year-old lost in the quarter-final and moved up only one spot to No 13.
Fritz and Shelton’s fellow American Tiafoe was a big mover as he jumped seven places to No 20 after reaching his maiden ATP Masters 1000 final, finishing runner-up to Sinner in Cincinnati.
British No 1 Jack Draper is now at a career-high No 25 after rising three places with his run to the quarter-final.
Canadian Open winner Alexei Popyrin followed up the biggest title of his career with a first-round defeat in Cincy and he dropped five places to No 28. His fellow Australian Max Purcell was a surprise quarter-finalist last year, but he lost in the second round and has slumped 23 places to No 91.
ATP Rankings Top 20
1. Jannik Sinner Italy – 9,760 points
2. Novak Djokovic Serbia – 7,460
3. Carlos Alcaraz Spain – 7,360
4. Alexander Zverev Germany – 7,035
5. Daniil Medvedev – 6,275
6. Andrey Rublev – 4,805
7. Hubert Hurkacz Poland – 4,055
8. Casper Ruud Norway – 3,855
9. Grigor Dimitrov Bulgaria – 3,655
10. Alex de Minaur Australia – 3,435
11. Stefanos Tsitsipas Greece – 3,425
12. Taylor Fritz United States – 3,120
13. Ben Shelton United States – 3,110
14. Tommy Paul United States – 2,985
15. Holger Rune Denmark – 2,780
16. Sebastian Korda United States – 2,780
17. Ugo Humbert France – 2,330
18. Lorenzo Musetti Italy – 2,255
19. Felix Auger-Aliassime Canada – 2,170
20. Frances Tiafoe United States – 2,120
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