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In the week prior to the release of the new WTA rankings on October 17th, there were two key tournaments. One of these was a WTA 250 event in Romania, and the other was a WTA 500 event in San Diego, USA. Of course, the WTA 500 event carried the most points and therefore attracted most of the major names on tour. However, the 250 event was also a great tournament as well, and both of these tournaments have proved important in terms of ranking shifts for several players.
Once again, since the new rankings for the week commencing, October 17th, have now been released, we can analyze the major movements to see what’s occurring.
Week Commencing October 17th – WTA Rankings Changes
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For some, the last week was more eventful than it was for others. And because points have been added, as well as dropped off across the board for another week, the rankings have adjusted to suit. Therefore, now is the perfect time to take a quick look at the major changes in the WTA rankings, as of the week commencing, October 17th. Let me give you the rundown right now.
Movement Inside the Top 10
There hasn’t been a whole load of movement inside the WTA top 10 this week, except for one player – Paula Badosa. The Spaniard has fallen by 4 spots to number 8 in the rankings, making her the biggest mover inside the top 10 for the week. Naturally, the reason for this drop is that some of her points from this time in 2021 have now dropped off. As for some of the others in the top 10, there has been slow but steady progress for a few big names.
Four players have managed to improve by 1 spot in the rankings funnily enough, and yes, this is connected to the 4 place drop from Badosa. But regardless, the players that have progressed inside the top 10 include Sabalenka, Pegula, Sakkari, as well as Gauff. I have listed these players in order of their individual rankings, meaning that these four now occupy 4-7 in the rankings.
Of course, you’ve also got Iga Swiatek firmly at the top of the tree, with no movement whatsoever. Amazingly, she has more than double the WTA points of her nearest rival and world number 2, Ons Jabeur. Then again, this just confirms how dominant she has been throughout the 2022 season. However, other than the five players mentioned here, there has been no other movement inside the WTA’s top 10.
The Week’s Biggest Climbers
Now let’s shift the attention away from the superstars of the WTA Tour. And since I always like to look at the big stories of the week in terms of ranking movement, let me start with the biggest climbers. Of all the major shifts up the ladder this week, there is one player that has simply blown the rest out of the water. This player is Anna Blinkova, a young Russian who won the WTA 250 event in Romania last week. In winning the title, she has been launched up the rankings by 59 places, making her this week’s biggest mover. Not only has she cracked the top 100 with this victory, but she has also gained a new ranking of 79 in the world – very impressive.
Amazingly, this wasn’t the only huge move in the WTA rankings this week. There was another player who managed to leap up the ladder by 30 spots, and this player is Donna Vekic. Much like Blinkova, Vekic did very well last week, only hers was the more prestigious of the two since it was a 500-level event. Vekic made the final of the tournament by beating the home favorite, Danielle Collins in the semi-finals – 7-6 in the deciding set. She also secured huge wins against Sakkari, Pliskova, as well as Sabalenka in the process.
She ultimately lost to Iga Swiatek in the finals, and in doing this, Vekic has gone from 77 to 47 in the WTA rankings.
The Week’s Biggest Losers
While the two players mentioned above have enjoyed a great week, the same cannot be said for a few others. Then again, this is the harsh reality of tennis – there has to be a loser. This is true in terms of both the on-court matches and the WTA rankings too. So who didn’t have the greatest of weeks last week? Well, much like the week’s biggest climbers, there are two names that I have to discuss here. These two players include the veteran, Victoria Azarenka, as well as Anna Kalinskaya.
Starting with Azarenka, she has fallen by 13 spots to the new position of number 37 in the world. Of course, this is a huge change, and it’s taken her from edging close to the world’s top 20 to now being closer to outside the top 50. Following on from Azarenka, we have Kalinskaya, a promising player who has also lost valuable points this week, resulting in a drop. As for the specifics, she has fallen by 15 places to a new position of number 73 in the rankings. Again, this isn’t the direction that I’m sure she would like to be moving.
Yet there is still some time for both players to redeem themselves before the 2022 season is finished.
Major Rankings Stories
Of all the rankings adaptations this week, I feel that there is one story that deserves to be discussed in further detail. As it happens, I’ve already mentioned this player regarding movement inside the top 10. The young sensation, Coco Gauff, has now secured a career-high ranking of number 7 in the world. Gauff is still just 18 years of age, so the fact that she has now cracked the top 7 is truly fantastic to see. Previously, her career-high ranking was number 8, which she achieved in September 2022.
This may not seem a huge difference, but once you get inside the top 10, a one-place increase in rankings is something huge. And as she plays throughout the remainder of the 2022 season, who knows, she may even crack the top 5! That would be great to see.
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