WTA Rankings: Aryna Sabalenka draws level with Maria Sharapova; McCartney Kessler +20, Emerson Jones hits milestone
Aryna Sabalenka has now spent as many weeks at No 1 as Maria Sharapova and Tracy Austin while there were major movers lower down the WTA Rankings.
The biggest names in women’s tennis were not in action the week before the Australian Open and it means the top five are unchanged with Sabalenka leading Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Jasmine Paolini and Zheng Qinwen.
Sabalenka sits on 9,656 points – 1,536 ahead of Swiatek – and on Monday she started her 12 consecutive week at the top of the rankings to take her overall tally to 21.
It saw her draw level with Sharapova and Austin in joint 18th place for most weeks at No 1 and she will move ahead of the duo next week as there is be no rankings update midway through a Grand Slam with Naomi Osaka on 25 weeks her next target.
But she have a fight on a hands to remain top after the season-opening major as both Swiatek and Gauff can overtake her with the former’s chances a lot better than Gauff’s.
Paolini can also overtake Gauff if the American falls early at Melbourne Park while Zheng is in danger of slipping down the rankings as she has runners-up points to defend from 2024.
There were a couple of changes in the top 10 with Jessica Pegula up one spot to No 6 after her run to the final of the Adelaide International while Barbora Krejikova also moves up a place to No 9 with Daria Kasatkina now at No 10 after an early exit at the WTA 500 event.
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Keys was the big winner in the top 20 as she jumped six spots to No 14 after winning the Adelaide title – the ninth title of her career – while Jelena Ostapenko slipped out of the top 20.
McCartney Kessler was the other tournament winner ahead of the Australian Open as she won her second WTA Tour title after beating Elise Mertens in the Hobart International final. The American jumped 20 places to a career-high No 47.
There were some big winners outside the top 100 as 18-year-old Maya Joint is up 13 places to No 105 after reaching the semi-finals in Hobart.
Joint’s fellow Australian Emerson Jones surged 78 places to a career-high No 293 after claiming her first-ever WTA match win in Hobart. The 16-year-old has received a wildcard entry for the Australian Open.
The teenager is one place ahead of Belinda Bencic – who returned from maternity leave at the backend of 2024 – as she is up 127 spots after she came through qualifying and won her opener at the same event.
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. Jessica Pegula United States – 4,801
7. Elena Rybakina Kazakhstan – 4,723
8. Emma Navarro United States – 3,409
9. Barbora Krejcikova Czech Republic – 3,214
10. Daria Kasatkina – 3,151
11. Danielle Collins United States – 3,147
12. Paula Badosa Spain – 2,958
13. Diana Shnaider – 2,895
14. Madison Keys United States – 2,680
15. Mirra Andreeva – 2,665
16. Anna Kalinskaya – 2,637
17. Beatriz Hadid Maia Brazil – 2,554
18. Marta Kostyuk Ukraine – 2,364
19. Donna Vekic Croatia – 2,228
20. Karolina Muchova Czech Republic – 2,079
