WTA Rankings Winners & Losers China Open: Swiatek misses chance, Pegula surges, Raducanu top 30, Noskova +8

Oli Dickson Jefford 03 Oct 2025 3:05 PM

Pictured L-R: Linda Noskova, Jessica Pegula, Emma Raducanu.

WTA Tour stars Linda Noskova, Jessica Pegula, Emma Raducanu.

The China Open is reaching its closing stages, and there have been plenty of big talking points at the penultimate WTA 1000 event of the 2025 season.

The semi-final line-up is now set and there is a strong American vibe, with third seed Amanda Anisimova taking on defending champion Coco Gauff in the first semi-final, while fifth seed Jessica Pegula prepares to do battle against Czech young gun Linda Noskova.

There have been plenty of movements across the WTA Rankings from the tournament, and here we look at who could be the big winners and losers when the rankings update post-event next Monday.

WTA Top 10 Pre-China Open (September 22, 2025)

1) Aryna Sabalenka, 11,225
2) Iga Swiatek, 8,433
3) Coco Gauff, 7,873
4) Amanda Anisimova, 5,109
5) Mirra Andreeva, 4,793
6) Madison Keys, 4,579
7) Jessica Pegula, 4,383
8) Jasmine Paolini, 4,006
9) Zheng Qinwen, 4,003
10) Elena Rybakina, 3,833

World No 1 Sabalenka only had quarter-final points from the 2024 China Open to defend, but, having withdrawn from the event, Swiatek had the chance to gain ground on her rival.

Defending champion Gauff had a staggering 1,000 points to defend, but her position as the world No 3 was secure regardless of her result, with a chunky pre-tournament cushion over Anisimova.

Below the top three, less than 1,300 points separated world No 4 Ansimova and world No 10 Rybakina, with plenty of opportunities for players to gain ground on their rankings rivals.

WTA Live Rankings (post quarter-final matches)

1) Aryna Sabalenka, 11,010
2) Iga Swiatek, 8,533
3) Coco Gauff, 7,263
4) Amanda Anisimova, 5,379
5) Mirra Andreeva, 4,698
6) Jessica Pegula, 4,653 (+1)
7) Madison Keys, 4,459 (-1)
8) Jasmine Paolini, 4,156
9) Elena Rybakina, 3,833 (+1)
10) Zheng Qinwen, 3,678 (-1)

The gap between Sabalenka and Swiatek has decreased slightly but, with Swiatek stunned in the fourth round by Emma Navarro, the Pole has not made up as much ground as she perhaps could have.

A solid run for Pegula has seen her move back above compatriot Keys in the rankings, and she will move above world No 5 Andreeva if she wins her semi-final, while Gauff and Anisimova’s runs cement their top four spots.

After failing to match her semi-final run from 2024, Qinwen drops one place to world No 10.

The big winners

Heading into the semi-final stage, the biggest winner in the WTA Rankings may well be Noskova, with the 26th seed into her first WTA 1000 semi-final.

The Czech is already projected to rise to a new career-high ranking, with the 20-year-old leaping eight places to world No 19 in the live rankings ahead of a semi-final versus Pegula.

Noskova could then rise to 17th if she reaches the final, and 13th if she wins the title.

The woman Noskova beat in Friday’s quarter-final, Sonay Kartal, is also set to soar after her run to a first WTA 1000 quarter-final, jumping 21 places to world No 60 as things stand.

Also set to move up 21 places is fellow quarter-finalist Eva Lys, who is set to crack the top 50 for the first time with a projected leap to world No 45.

While Emma Navarro is up three places to world No 13 after her quarter-final run, a good result in what has been a challenging season for the American.

There is also good news for Emma Raducanu, who — despite a painful loss to Pegula — is set to rise to world No 30, and be ranked inside the top 30 for the first time in over three years.

World No 1 Sabalenka is also arguably a big winner from a rankings perspective, with her lead at the top not significantly dented despite her absence.

World No 3 Gauff and world No 4 Anisimova have both also secured their spots in the WTA Finals thanks to their campaigns.

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The big losers

2024 runner-up Karolina Muchova and 2024 semi-finalist Paula Badosa both suffered early exits this year, and will drop down as a result.

Muchova is projected to drop seven places to world No 22 after falling in round four while Badosa, who has now called time on her season after retiring injured in the third round, will fall five places to world No 23.

Losing 110 points from reaching the fourth round in 2024, Anna Kalinskaya is projected to drop five places to world No 34, while a difficult year for Katie Boulter sees her drop a further seven places to world No 61 as things stand.

This may also prove to be a missed opportunity for Swiatek, who could have moved within striking distance of the world No 1 ranking with a stronger run.