WTA rankings report: top-20 debut for Haddad Maia, Halep rises to 6
Beatriz Haddad Maia and Simona Halep are two of the biggest risers in this week’s WTA rankings.
Beatriz Haddad Maia celebrates another victory in Toronto || AI / Reuters
A run to the Toronto final has pushed Brasil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia to a new career-high ranking, while Romania’s Simona Halep, the Toronto titlist, is back inside the top-10 for the first time since May of 2021.
Let’s run down this week’s biggest movers on the WTA Tour…
Haddad Maia – from 82 to 16 in 2022!
It has been a splendid year for Brasil’s Haddad Maia, who became the first player from her country to reach a 1000-level final this week, as well as the first Brasilian to earn a victory over a reigning WTA No 1 player (over Iga Swiatek in the round of 16 at Toronto). Thanks to her incredible trip to the final at Toronto – and her two grass-court titles this summer, in Nottingham and Birmingham, Haddad Maia finds herself at a career-high ranking of 16 (+8 from 24)
An enormous rise, considering that she started the season at 82.
Halep – back in the top-10
On the strength of her 24th career title in Toronto, Simona Halep clicks up nine spots (+9) to No 6 in this week’s rankings. The Romanian has not held a top-10 ranking since last May, when her injury troubles began at Rome.
Gauff the new doubles No 1
Coco Gauff claimed her fifth WTA doubles title on Sunday in Toronto, as she and Jessica Pegula powered past Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Ellen Perez 6-4, 6-7(5), 10-5, and as a result the American will rise to No 1 in the doubles rankings on Monday.
Gauff, 18, will become the second youngest player to ever crack the No 1 doubles ranking on the WTA Tour. She is eclipsed only by Martina Hingis, who achieved the feat at age 17 in 1998.
Gauff is the 46th woman to hold the WTA’s top doubles ranking, and the 11th American to do so.
Another career-high for China’s Qinwen Zheng
China’s Qinwen Zheng reached the quarter-finals on her National Bank Open debut this week, eventually falling to Karolina Pliskova in three sets after toppling Bianca Andreescu in the previous round. For her efforts the 19-year-old pops to a career-high ranking of 41 (+10 from 51).
Zheng has turned heads early and often in 2022, after starting the season with a ranking of 143.
Top-50 for Pera, career-highs for Wang and Linda Noskova
Bernarda Pera’s amazing season continues, as the American reached the final at the Concord Challenger and will rise another five spots in the ranking to make her top-50 debut at 49.
Also making career high rankings are China’s Wang Xiyu (+1 to 75) and 17-year-old Linda Noskova (+2 to 88).
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