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It’s been an interesting week or two on the ATP Tour. While ATP-sanctioned events have been taking place around the world, the scheduling of the Davis Cup and Laver Cup have put the ATP rankings updates on ice – at least for a short period. But due to the most recent updates, we finally have an idea about who is moving the right way up the ladder as we approach the ATP Finals for 2023. Of course, qualification for the ATP Finals is only possible for a select group of players, but this prospect always makes the tournaments towards the back end of the season more exciting than most.
As for the tournaments that were completed since the last rankings update, there have been a couple – both held in Asia. More specifically, the Asian swing kicked off with two ATP 250 events that were concluded on September 26th. As a result, with no tournaments finishing on October 1st, which would normally influence the ATP rankings updates, these have carried over to impact the changes we see today.
Furthermore, keeping in tune with this irregular schedule concerning rankings changes compared to the rest of the season, these updates come during the middle of two more tournaments. Right now, there is the ATP China Open (500) and the ATP Astana Open (250), both of which will conclude during the middle of this week. Therefore, these tournaments will also run over into the ATP rankings updates for next week.
Anyway, let’s focus on the matter at hand and discuss the rankings changes witnessed as of Monday, October 2nd.
ATP rankings updates – week commencing October 2nd
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Given that there were two ATP 250 tournaments played during the respective rankings period for these updates, there were a decent amount of points up for grabs for those who played. Of course, these coincide with the many ATP Challenger events that were held as well. However, as is the case most weeks concerning these ATP rankings updates, it’s the more prestigious tournaments that have resulted in changes for the players who are outlined below.
The week’s biggest climbers
The ATP’s top 100 saw a total of five players produce double-digit gains during this period. However, there are three players who managed to score a marginally higher rankings rise than the remaining two. And on that note, let me discuss these players now.
Roman Safiullin: +14
As a direct result of his unexpected heroics in the Chengdu Open, Roman Safiullin has risen by 14 positions this week. This makes him the biggest riser of the week, first and foremost, and it also takes him up to 41 in the world. Naturally, this is a great achievement, and he truly deserves such a rise after reaching the finals of the Chengdu Open.
Constant Lestienne: +13
If you recall, I mentioned earlier that ATP Challenger events can also impact the ATP rankings on a week-to-week basis. And this shines through in the case of Constant Lestienne. This Frenchman managed to win a Challenger in Saint-Tropez just over a week ago, and the points accumulated have carried through to this week. As a result, Lestienne has jumped 13 places to 94.
Aslan Karatsev: +11
Back to the guys who did play in the ATP 250 events during this rankings period, we have Aslan Karatsev who narrowly takes the 3rd spot concerning this week’s climbers. Karatsev competed in the Zhuhai Open, and he managed to win three matches to reach the semi-finals before losing to Nishioka. In doing so, he scored enough points for an 11-position leap – taking him to 52 in the world.
The week’s biggest fallers
It’s obviously been a great week for the ATP players I have discussed above. But in contrast, it’s not exactly been a week to remember for the three guys mentioned below.
Lorenzo Sonego: -18
After losing in the second round of the 2023 US Open, Sonego hasn’t competed all that much. This has hurt his ranking, naturally, but he did enjoy a couple of wins while playing in the Davis Cup for Italy. Yet since he hasn’t played in anything else during this rankings period, he takes the unwanted title as the week’s biggest faller alongside the American player mentioned below. As for his ranking, he has dropped 18 spots to 56.
Marcos Giron: -18
Unfortunately, for Marcos Giron, the unusual finishing times of tournaments at this point in the season haven’t helped him whatsoever concerning his ranking for this week. Looking at his results, sure, the fact that he lost in the second round of the Chengdu Open is the tournament that has caused the 18 place drop to 82 in the world. However, he did grab a decent win against Wawrinka in the Astana Open before losing to Thiem, which would help his points tally. Yet because this tournament is ongoing, his points won’t be added until next week.
Stan Wawrinka: -7
Having just mentioned Stan Wawrinka, you’ll know that he lost in the first round to Marcos Giron in the ongoing Astana Open. So this won’t prove too helpful for Wawrinka for the next ATP rankings updates, which will come through on October 9th, 2023. As for his results prior to that, there aren’t any to speak of since the US Open. Therefore, by not competing, Wawrinka has fallen 7 places down the ladder to 47 in the world.
Top ATP rankings story – Khachanov puts doubters to bed with Zhuhai Championships title
Karen Khachanov has endured a rough time of things due to the rather random shoulder injury that he picked up during Roland Garros 2023. This resulted in the talented Russian taking a few months away from the ATP Tour. And when this happens, as expected, it takes some time for an individual to get back to the level where they were before the injury. This also happened to Karen Khachanov, as he went out in the first round of the US Open when he returned to the tour.
However, while this prompted many doubters to come out of the woodwork, Khachanov instantly silenced them with his title run at the Zhuhai Championships. In that event, he lost just one set en route to the title, and he beat three top 50 players in a row for the crown.
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