Rybakina makes Top 10 debut, Sabalenka returns to No.2

The first Grand Slam tournament of the 2023 season is complete, with brand new Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka spearheading a number of significant moves in the latest edition of the WTA Rankings.

By winning the Australian Open title, Sabalenka returns to her career-high ranking of No.2. In her last three tournaments, the 24-year-old has collected 3,525 ranking points. In addition to earning 2,000 points for winning her maiden Grand Slam title, Sabalenka has also earned 470 points for winning the title at Adelaide 1 and 955 points for finishing as runner-up at last year’s WTA Finals. 

Champions Corner: How Sabalenka found a new way to fight | Champions Corner: Krejcikova and Siniakova get back to basics | Rybakina confident the best is to come | Photos: Sabalenka’s trophy photo shoot | Social media reacts to the final

Even with her recent success, Sabalenka still trails current World No.1 Iga Swiatek by 4,385 points. However, through Roland Garros, Sabalenka is defending 1,115 ranking points compared to Swiatek’s 6,270 points. 

For the meantime, this week Swiatek extends her stay at No.1 to 44 consecutive weeks, the fourth longest stay at No.1 after debuting in that position. Only Stefanie Graf (186), Martina Hingis (80) and Serena Williams (57) own longer stays upon first climbing to the top. 

Rybakina’s Top 10 debut

Rybakina enters the WTA Top 10 in singles for the first time in her career this week, becoming the first player (male or female) representing Kazakhstan to break into the elite ranking bracket. She has risen from No.25 to No.10 in the world courtesy of her run to the title match in Melbourne.

Rybakina’s journey to the Top 10 saw her reach the Portoroz final and Ostrava semifinals last year, in addition to reaching the quarterfinal stage at WTA 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells and Cincinnati.

Teenagers in Top 100

This week’s Top 100 includes four teenagers: Coco Gauff (No.6), Linda Fruhvirtova (No.51), Linda Noskova (No.56) and Diana Shnaider (No.94).

Gauff, the highest-ranked teenager, has been ranked in the Top 10 for 21 consecutive weeks and rises one spot to No.6 after reaching the Australian Open fourth round. She also holds the No.2 spot in the doubles rankings after reaching the semifinals in that discipline (with Jessica Pegula).

Fruhvirtova, the youngest in the Top 100 at 17 years old, advanced to the fourth round at the Australian Open, her second Grand Slam main draw appearance. With that second-week appearance, the Czech jumps 31 spots in the rankings from No.82 to a career-high, No.51.

Noskova, although she lost in the opening round of qualifying at the Australian Open, equals her career-high ranking this week at No.56. The 18 year old started the season by advancing to the final at Adelaide 1 via qualifying, losing in the championship match to the eventual Australian Open champion, Sabalenka.

Photos: The Top 100 breakthroughs of 2023

Shnaider makes her Top 100 debut this week at No.94 after making her Grand Slam main draw debut at the Australian Open as a qualifier. It was also Shnaider’s first tour-level main draw, and she made an impact by reaching the second round and stretching Maria Sakkari to three sets.

Other notable ranking jumps

Victoria Azarenka (+8, from No.24 to No.16): The two-time Australian Open champion reached the semifinal stage of the tournament for the first time since 2013, and climbs eight spots to No.16 — her highest ranking since last May. At 33 years old, Azarenka is the oldest woman in the Top 20.

Karolina Pliskova (+11, from No.31 to No.20): A quarterfinalist at the Australian Open, the 30-year-old Pliskova returns to the Top 20 this week. The former World No.1 dropped out of the Top 20 last October but has quickly bounced back just three months later.  

Donna Vekic (+31, from No.64 to No.33): The former World No.19 advanced to the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, equaling her career-best result at a Slam (also reached QF at 2019 US Open). As a result, Vekic rises 31 spots in this week’s rankings to No.33.

Magda Linette (+31, from No.45 to No.22): After reaching her first Grand Slam semifinal in her 30th main draw appearance at the Slams, Linette climbs 31 spots this week to a career-high No.22.

Zhu Lin (+33, from No.87 to No.54): Among the Top 100, the biggest climb following the Australian Open belongs to Zhu Lin, who celebrated her 29th birthday last week. Playing in her 14th Grand Slam main draw, Zhu advanced to the second week for the first time in her career, earning 240 ranking points as she climbs 33 spots this week to a career-high No.54. She is now the Chinese No.3, behind only Zhang Shuai (No.23) and Zheng Qinwen (No.29).

More noteworthy moves

Ekaterina Alexandrova (No.19) and Anhelina Kalinina (No.31) join Linette and Rybakina as Top 50 players reaching their career-best ranking this week.

Katerina Siniakova maintains her hold on the doubles World No.1 ranking after teaming with Barbora Krejcikova to successfully defend their Australian Open title. Siniakova has held the No.1 doubles ranking for 83 total weeks, while Krejcikova sits at No.3.

Katie Volynets joins Shnaider in making her Top 100 debut this week. The 21-year-old American jumps 17 spots from No.113 to No.96 after scoring her first Top 10 win over Veronika Kudermetova to reach the third round of the Australian Open as a qualifier. Volynets and Shnaider join Cristina Bucsa and Rebeka Masarova as players to crack the Top 100 for the first time this season.

Laura Siegemund was the lowest-ranked player to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open. The German former World No.27, who has been on the comeback trail from knee surgery, returned to the second week of a Grand Slam for the first time since Roland Garros 2020, and climbs 33 spots from No.158 to No.125.