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In contrast to the ATP Tour, last week’s WTA Tour played host to a Masters 1000 level event. This was the final 1000-level event of the season, whereas the final 1000 event for the men isn’t played for another couple of weeks. As it happens, this wasn’t the only WTA event played last week, even if this tournament did capture all of the attention (naturally). In addition to the 1000-level event in Guadalajara, there was a 125-level event played in Rouen, France.
With that said, the biggest names in women’s tennis flocked to Mexico for the Masters 1000 event, of course. And the tournament displayed a number of surprises that have caused a shift in the WTA rankings. For that reason, as I aim to do on a weekly basis, I’ve covered the top stories relating to WTA rankings updates right here.
Week Commencing October 24th – WTA Rankings Changes
For different reasons, the top 2 players in the world didn’t actually compete in Guadalajara. These two players are Iga Swiatek and Ons Jabeur, in case you needed a refresher on who is at the top of the tree right now. Then again, their rankings remain unchanged despite missing the final 1000-level event of the season. However, there has been quite a bit of movement inside the WTA’s top 10 because of last week.
So let me begin by highlighting the big news from the top 10.
Movement Inside the Top 10 – Pegula, Gauff, and Garcia Rise
Jessica Pegula has solidified herself as America’s number one after claiming the Masters 1000 title in Mexico last week. She played phenomenal tennis all week long, beating the Wimbledon Champion, Elena Rybakina, Sloane Stephens, Victoria Azarenka, and Maria Sakkari in the process. In fact, her display in the final against Sakkari to claim the title was one of the best matches I’ve ever seen her play. By claiming this title, she has risen a further 2 spots to now hold the number 3 ranking in the world.
However, while she might not have thought about this at the time, she has fought off intense competition from her younger American rival – Coco Gauff. The 18-year-old sensation also enjoyed a good week in Mexico, making the quarter-finals before losing to Azarenka in a tight three-setter. Regardless, Gauff earned enough points to take her to yet another career-high ranking of number 4.
And finally, Caroline Garcia has enjoyed a huge rankings rise – up 4 spots to number 6 in the world. This actually makes her the biggest climber out of the top 10, even if she only made the round of 16 in Guadalajara. The rankings shift for Garcia was aided by drops from both Halep and Sabalenka, who dropped by one place and three places, respectively.
The Week’s Biggest Climbers – Four Big Gainers Including Stephens, Andreescu, and Others
Taking our attention away from the top of the ladder now, it’s time to investigate the biggest risers as a result of their performances last week. Now, in terms of those who competed in WTA-level events, there are four players who have produced big gains. Let me run through each of them to give you the scoop. Starting with Sloane Stephens, the American has managed to climb 13 spots to take her new position as the 37th-best player in the WTA rankings. Stephens ultimately lost to the tournament winner, Pegula, in the quarter-finals.
Following Stephens, the much-loved Canadian, Bianca Andreescu, has also climbed by 13 places. This puts her equal with Stephens in terms of the actual rise in the WTA rankings, yet she has moved to number 46. Andreescu made the round of 16 in Guadalajara, winning two matches before also losing to Pegula. Beyond these players, two other individuals who also posted 13-place gains include Golubic and Cocciaretto. Yet this wasn’t the biggest rankings surge inside the WTA’s top 100, believe it or not.
The two players that take the crown for the week’s biggest climbers are Kamilla Rakhimova and Maryna Zanevska. Both players enjoyed a great week at the 125-level event in France. But it was Zanevska who won the tournament, beating Rakhimova along the way in the semi-finals.
The Week’s Biggest Losers – Nightmare for Vekic and Muguruza
It’s a tough look at the leaderboard if you are standing in the shoes of Garbine Muguruza. The Spaniard has endured the biggest slide in the rankings by an absolute mile. She has fallen by 44 places in just one week, slipping to number 57 in the rankings. To give that drop a bit of context, she has gone from the 13th-best player in the world to the 57th-best player in the world in the space of seven days.
That’s pretty catastrophic by anyone’s standards, and she wasn’t the only player experiencing a serious drop. Following Garbine Muguruza, the biggest loser of the week was Donna Vekic. This was a huge surprise given that she had a major rise in the rankings last week after making the final in San Diego. However, she backed up this strong performance by losing her second-round match in Guadalajara to Kudermetova. Because of this, she fell 24 spots to number 71 in the world.
Major Rankings Stories – Kontaveit From 3 to 17
Anna Kontaveit has proven herself as a top contender in recent times. The 26-year-old Estonian has been in the top 5 in her 2022 season. But injury has swept into her life in recent weeks to seemingly put an end to her competitive season. Just the other week she made the finals of a 250-level event in her home country of Estonia. She lost this final and then retired in her opener at the 500-level event in Agel. Sadly, this rendered her unable to compete in the final 1000-level event last week in Mexico.
And since she had points to defend, she has experienced a big rankings drop taking her from a top 3 player to barely inside the top 20. This is a huge shame, and it shows how brutal the ranking system can be. So all we can do is wish her a speedy recovery.
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