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The most recent WTA rankings that have been published on February 27th have shown a fair bit of movement at the top. While the top 10 has remained unchanged, the movement regarding players ranked 11-50 (and slightly further out) has been significant. And let’s not forget that the last seven days’ rankings run has been based on two top-flight tournaments. These two tournaments were the WTA 1000 event in Dubai plus the WTA 250 event in Mexico.
Of course, the most points on offer were available at the WTA 1000 tournament, which proved to be quite a week for several players. As for the 250 event in Mexico, while fewer points were on offer for that tournament, it was still a hotly contested event. So, with this in mind, what impact have these two events had on the most recent WTA rankings updates for February 27th?
Well, as always, let me break it down for you and show what’s happened concerning the WTA rankings ladder.
WTA Rankings Updates – Week Commencing February 27th
Contents
In case you needed a reminder, the most recent rankings updates have been done based on the last seven days. This is how the rankings adjustments work throughout the year, with a weekly rolling system in place. Some players have gained points this week, and some have lost points due to failing to match their results at this point last year.
However, let me begin by looking into the players that have managed to build on their rankings points and subsequently climb the ladder.
The Week’s Biggest Climbers – Krejcikova, Giorgi, and Bodgan Strut Their Stuff
The three players that I’ve mentioned here all enjoyed quite a remarkable seven days as far as their rankings go. Yet the player that has made the biggest leap up the rankings here is Camila Giorgi. The veteran Italian competed in the 250 event in Mexico last week, and she certainly surprised many of us by taking the title. Believe it or not, Camila Giorgi wasn’t even ranked going into this tournament. And it would seem like this lack of pressure worked in Giorgi’s favor as she dismantled some top players on her way to the title.
This started with a straight sets win over the 6 seed, and amazingly, it also included a 6-0, 6-0 victory over the number 2 seed, Sloane Stephens. From here, Giorgi never looked back as she marched on to lift the trophy, which sent her rocketing up the rankings by 22 places. She is now ranked 46 in the world, and I have a feeling she has plenty more to give in the 2023 season.
As for the others, the second-highest climber of the week was Ana Bogdan. She competed in the WTA 1000 event in Dubai and went through to the round of 16 before losing to Jessica Pegula. And by winning those opening two matches, Bogdan picked up enough points to rise through the rankings by 18 places. This is only narrowly behind Giorgi, and her new ranking, as of February 27th, 2023, is 57. That’s a huge leap for this promising player, and she should be proud.
And last but not least, it’s been a great week for Barbora Krejcikova. She’s gone up 14 places to a new position of 16 after winning the Dubai event – a huge achievement!
The Week’s Biggest Fallers – Kontaveit, Ostapenko, and Stephens Slide
Let me start this section by drawing attention to Anett Kontaveit, although she probably doesn’t want to think about the last seven days. The Estonian player has tumbled by 34 places, which is catastrophic, to say the least. She’s gone from being the number 27 in the world to number 61 in the space of just seven days. And this is a classic example of how ruthless the WTA rankings system can be at times. Since Kontaveit had a ton of points to defend, which she failed to do by not competing through injury, she’s endured this huge slip down the rankings ladder.
However, as is usually the case, she isn’t alone in her rankings misery. Accompanying Kontaveit with a rather unfortunate drop in rankings is Sloane Stephens, who has fallen by 10 spots after receiving a double-bagel at the hands of Camila Giorgi in Mexico. Since this occurred in the quarter-finals, Stephens failed to pick up points and now finds herself down at 51 in the world. And finally, I must also discuss Ostapenko.
By crashing out in the round of 16 of the Dubai Championships, she has also failed to move her rankings points in the right direction. Due to this, Ostapenko has fallen by 6 more spots this week down to a new position of 26. This is the second time running that Ostapenko has been moving down the ladder, as per the WTA rankings updates. Therefore, the coming weeks are critical if she is to stop the slide, so to speak.
Top Rankings Stories – A Fairytale Week for Krejcikova
Of the many rankings stories I could cover for this week’s update, I’ve decided to go with the impressive victory for Barbora Krejcikova. She went into the WTA 1000 event as an unseeded player, yet she blew past everyone in her path to capture the title. And in the process, she has enjoyed a sensational rise through the rankings – going from number 30 to number 16 in the space of just seven days. However, this wouldn’t have happened if she didn’t produce a string of incredible performances in Dubai.
To recap exactly what she accomplished over the last seven days, let me quickly share her tournament run. As mentioned above, at number 30 in the rankings, Krejcikova was not seeded for this event. But clearly, this didn’t phase her too much. I say that because along the way she beat the 7th, 12th, 2nd, 3rd, and 1st seeds. And for the last three rounds, in which she beat the top 3 seeds successively, her level of tennis was just staggering.
Furthermore, just to top things off, she went and beat the world number one, Iga Swiatek, in straight sets!
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