WTA Rankings Winners and Losers Rome: Aryna Sabalenka stays at No 2, Danielle Collins +3, Naomi Osaka +120

Ewan West 17 May 2024 12:31 PM

Aryna Sabalenka and Danielle Collins

It has been another successful tournament for the top WTA players at the 2024 Italian Open in Rome.

While world No 4 and defending champion Elena Rybakina was forced to withdraw through illness, the top three in the WTA Rankings all at least made the semi-finals.

Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka will face off in the final in Rome on Saturday in a repeat of their thrilling Madrid title match earlier this month.

Here are the WTA Rankings winners and losers from the WTA 1000 tournament in the Italian capital.

WTA Top 10 before Rome

1) Iga Swiatek – 10,910
2) Aryna Sabalenka – 7,498
3) Coco Gauff – 7,313
4) Elena Rybakina – 6,673
5) Jessica Pegula – 4,655
6) Marketa Vondrousova – 4,090
7) Zheng Qinwen – 3,945
8) Maria Sakkari – 3,925
9) Ons Jabeur – 3,748
10) Jelena Ostapenko – 3,493

Swiatek could not lose her position as the world No 1 in Rome as she held a lead of almost 3,500 points over Sabalenka following her Madrid triumph.

If the Polish star beats Sabalenka to claim her third Italian Open title, she will reach 11,695 points and extend her lead over the Belarusian. However, if Sabalenka prevails, she will cut the gap to top spot and have 8,488 points after Rome.

Third-ranked Coco Gauff reached the semi-finals, but this was not enough to see her overtake Sabalenka, who has ensured she will remain in second spot.

Gauff’s 325 points gained from her last four run will help her stretch her lead over Rybakina, who is set to drop 1000 points after withdrawing ahead of her title defence.

Elsewhere in the top 10, Maria Sakkari’s fourth round showing will see her climb one place to world No 7, while quarter-finalist Zheng Qinwen will drop one spot to eighth.

WTA Top 10 before Rome final

1) Iga Swiatek – 11,345
2) Aryna Sabalenka – 8,138
3) Coco Gauff – 7,638
4) Elena Rybakina – 5,673
5) Jessica Pegula – 4,655
6) Marketa Vondrousova – 4,035
7) Maria Sakkari – 3,980
8) Zheng Qinwen – 3,945
9) Ons Jabeur – 3,748
10) Jelena Ostapenko – 3,318

Big Winners

Danielle Collins continued her blistering recent form by reaching the semi-finals of the Italian Open, where she fell 5-7, 2-6 to Sabalenka.

The 30-year-old American, who has won 19 of her last 21 matches, will jump three places from 15th to 12th in the WTA Rankings on Monday.

Former world No 1 and four-time Major winner Naomi Osaka has shot up 120 places from 255th to 135th in the Live WTA Rankings after her run to the last 16 in Rome.

Like Osaka, Angelique Kerber, a three-time Grand Slam champion, has also surged 120 places to 211th by reaching the fourth round.

Rebecca Sramkova, who reached the last 16 after qualifying in Rome, is set to leap 32 places from 120th to a new career-high ranking of 88th.

Big Losers

Rybakina’s points tally dropping from 6,673 to 5,673 will deal a sizable blow to her short-term hopes of closing the gap to her rivals in the top three, with Gauff now almost 2,000 points clear.

Anhelina Kalinina has slipped 25 places in the Live Rankings from 31st to 56th after falling short of her 2023 Italian Open runner-up result. The 27-year-old Ukrainian will drop 585 points after losing in the third round to Maria Sakkari this year.

Veronika Kudermetova, who made the semi-finals in Rome in 2023, is set to drop six places from 25th to 31st after losing her opening match this year.