WTA Rankings: Gauff rises to career-high No 7, Blinkova returns to top-100, Wang Xiyu and Zheng Qinwen career-highs

A look inside this week’s ranking movers and shakers on the WTA Tour…

Gauff on the rise

Coco Gauff continued her push up the WTA rankings this week thanks to another quarter-final performance at the San Diego Open. The 18-year-old American ran into the steamroller known as Iga Swiatek in the last eight at San Diego, but still managed to pick up some points and push her new career-high ranking to No 7 in the world.

Gauff is next in line to qualify for the WTA Finals in Fort Worth – she is currently fourth in the Race (scroll down for more on the Race standings).

Read also

American teenager Coco Gauff to become youngest player in top 10 since 2006

Tennis Majors

Additionally, Gauff qualified for WTA Finals in Fort Worth in doubles – she claimed the title in San Diego alongside partner Jessica Pegula.

The American duo is the fifth team to qualify for the prestigious season-ending championships, which begin on October 31.

WTA Finals, doubles, currently qualified:

1. Barbora Krejcikova / Katerina Siniakova
2. Gabriela Dabrowski / Giuliana Olmos
3. Lyudmila Kichenok / Jelena Ostapenko
4. Elise Mertens / Veronika Kudermetova
5. Coco Gauff/ Jessica Pegula

Pegula qualifies for Fort Worth as Race stay hot

Pegula, who reached the singles semi-finals in San Diego before falling to Swiatek in three sets, also qualified for the WTA Finals singles field. The American is the third singles player to qualify.

Here are the current WTA Finals standings ahead of play this week at Guadalajara:

1. Iga Swiatek, 10335 (Qualified)
2. Ons Jabeur, 4555 (Qualified)
3. Jessica Pegula, 3417 (Qualified)
4. Coco Gauff, 3082
5. Aryna Sabalenka, 2970
6. Caroline Garcia, 2896
7. Daria Kasatkina, 2885
8. Simona Halep, 2661 (WILL NOT PLAY)
9. Veronika Kudermetova, 2606
10. Maria Sakkari, 2537
11. Paula Badosa, 2363
12. Belinda Bencic, 2360
13. Madison Keys, 2313
14. Danielle Collins, 2183
15. Anett Kontaveit, 2093
16. Beatriz Haddad Maia, 2050
17. Petra Kvitova, 2038
18. Ekaterina Makarova, 1910
19. Jelena Ostapenko, 1882
20. Barbora Krejcikova, 1850

Blinkova returns to top-100

Russia’s Anna Blinkova claimed her maiden WTA title on Sunday in Cluj-napoca, and climbs 59 spots in the rankings, all the way up to No 79. She is the biggest riser inside the top-100 this week.

Vekic returns to top-50

Donna Vekic is the biggest riser inside the top-50. The Croatian, who lost to Iga Swiatek in the San Diego final on Sunday night, enjoyed a successful run from qualifying and jumps 30 spots, from 77 to 47.

The 26-year-old former world No 19 defeated Maria Sakkari, Karolina Pliskova, Aryna Sabalenka and Danielle Collins to reach the final.

Read also

Vekic continues giant-killing run in San Diego; upsets Sabalenka after wins over Sakkari and Pliskova

Tennis Majors

China’s Zheng Qinwen and Wang Xiyu continue to surge

It was another good week for young Chinese players, as 20-year-old Zheng Qinwen (Round 2 loss to Swiatek in San Diego) ticked a new career-high at No 27 in the world, while Wang Xiyu, 21, jumped eight spots to No.51 after her semi-final at the Transylvania Open.

China currently has seven top-100 players, and four of then are 24 or under.

New career-highs inside the top-100

• Coco Gauff, +1 to No 7
• Ekaterina Alexandrova, + 1 to 19
• Zheng Qinwen, +1 to 27
• Marie Bouzkova, +3 to 38
• Bernarda Pera, +1 to 42
• Anastasia Potapova, +4 to 44
• Wang Xiyu, +8 to 51
• Claire Liu, +1 to 63
• Jule Niemeier, +8 to 66
• Yuan Yue, +19 to 83
• Tamara Korpatsch, +2 to 96

You might also like this

Qualifier Blinkova beats Paolini in Cluj to win first WTA title

tennis majors

Italian Paolini fends off Wang Xiyu in Cluj to reach second career WTA final

tennis majors

Players, Groups, Prize Money, Fort Worth: Everything you ever wanted to know about the WTA Finals (but never had time to find out)

tennis majors