WTA Rankings: Aryna Sabalenka builds healthy lead over Iga Swiatek; Naomi Osaka +7, Emma Raducanu -4
Aryna Sabalenka has drawn level with Kim Clijsters for most weeks spent at No 1 in the WTA Rankings while she has also built a healthy lead over Iga Swiatek ahead of the Australian Open.
Three-time Grand Slam winner Sabalenka started her 12th consecutive week at the top of the rankings on Monday to move to 20 weeks in total, putting her joint-20th with Belgian great Clijsters.
She is assured of remaining top for at least another two weeks and next week she will move level with Tracy Austin and Maria Sharapova on 21 weeks in 18th place before edging ahead of them a week later. Naomi Osaka in 17th place on 25 weeks will be her target after that.
Sabalenka strengthened her lead over Swiatek after she won the Brisbane International – her 18th career title – while her Polish rival lost in the final of the United Cup.
The Belarusian is now 1,536 points ahead, but that is not enough to ensure she remains at No 1 after the Australian Open as she will defend 2,000 points while Swiatek will drop only 130 points.
The top two are followed by Coco Gauff with the American steered the United States to the United Cup title as she won all five her singles matches to move to 6,888 points.
Gauff is well clear of Jasmine Paolini and Zheng Qinwen while Elena Rybakina lost ground to the top five.
The top 10 is unchanged, but there was some movement outside of that with Mirra Andreeva moving up one place after her semi-final run in Brisbane. The 17-year-old now sits at a career-high No 15 while Jelena Ostapenko dropped two spots.
Clara Tauson was the other WTA title winner last week as she lifted the ASB Classic trophy and her reward was a nine-place jump to No 41.
Osaka finished runner-up to Tauson after she retired from the Auckland final and she is up seven places to No 50 – her highest position since returning from maternity leave.
Australian Open News
Ashlyn Kruger enjoyed a run to the quarter-final in Brisbane and she jumped 10 places to No 54, but one of the standout performers in the first week of the new tennis season was Polina Kudermetova.
The 21-year-old – younger sister of former world No 9 Veronika Kudermetova came through qualifying in Brisbane and went all the way to the final, finishing runner-up to Sabalenka. The Russian surged 50 places to a career-high No 57 – 20 spots higher than her older sister.
Three places below Polina is Emma Raducanu as the former US Open champion dropped four places after withdrawing from the ASB Classic.
WTA Rankings Top 20
1. Aryna Sabalenka – 9,656 points
2. Iga Swiatek Poland – 8,120
3. Coco Gauff United States – 6,888
4. Jasmine Paolini Italy – 5,399
5. Zheng Qinwen China – 5,325
6. Elena Rybakina Kazakhstan – 4,821
7. Jessica Pegula United States – 4,671
8. Emma Navarro United States – 3,551
9. Daria Kasatkina – 3,368
10. Barbora Krejcikova Czech Republic – 3,214
11. Danielle Collins United States – 3,147
12. Paula Badosa Spain – 2,908
13. Diana Shnaider – 2,895
14. Anna Kalinskaya – 2,721
15. Mirra Andreeva – 2,665
16. Beatriz Hadid Maia Brazil – 2,554
17. Jelena Ostapenko Latvia – 2,481
18. Marta Kostyuk Ukraine – 2,471
19. Donna Vekic Croatia – 2,228
20. Madison Keys United States – 2,180
