WTA Rankings: Top ten unchanged as Sorribes Tormo makes massive leap

James Richardson 28 Aug 2023 6:14 PM

Sara Sorribes Tormo celebrates victory

Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo was the big rankings winner this week after he run to the title at Tennis in the Land.

Sorribes Tormo jumps 40 places to be the world No 55 heading into the US Open after defeating Ekaterina Alexandrova at Tennis in the Land.

Alexandrova rejoins the top 20 after the run but has a tough opening round assignment at the US Open where she will face Leylah Fernandez.

Cleveland Semi-finalists Maria and Zhu Lin make moderate moves up the rankings.

Maria moves up just two places to be world No 47 after her efforts in Cleveland.

However, Zhu Lin jumps four places to be world No 44 and remains the Chinese No 2 behind Qinwen Zheng who is ranked No 23.

At the top of the WTA Rankings Iga Swiatek is into her 74th week as the apex player.

However, Aryna Sabalenka, ranked No 2 in the world, who is presently 1,209 points behind Swiatek, will have another chance to overtake the 22-year-old in New York.

With Swiatek defending 2000 points in New York, that lead doesn’t afford the Pole a great deal of safety. It does mean that if she reaches the final and faces Sabalenka, her top spot will be safe even if she fails to defend her title.

If Sabalenka can match or better Swiatek’s efforts in New York she will become the new world No 1.

With only 10 ranking points left in the bank, Simona Halep, who has been suspended since last October owing to a failed drug test, tumbles outside of the top 1000. At the conclusion of the US Open, the Romanian player will forfeit the last of her points while awaiting the tribunal’s decision on her case and is set to become unranked at the end of the fortnight.

Following her victory in the Chicago WTA 125, Viktoriya Tomova has re-entered the top 100 at position No 82. Sofia Kenin, who shocked the world by defeating No. 6 Coco Gauff in the Wimbledon first round this year, has fallen out of the top 100 after suffering a thigh injury that prevented her from playing in any of the US Open season.

Despite not playing last week, Swiss star Belinda Bencic moves up two places on the rankings to take the No 13 slot.

Chicago runner-up Claire Liu moves up a dozen spots to be world No 69 as she narrowly missed out on a breakthrough title.