WTA rankings: Sakkari, Kenin, Wang Xiyu rising, Dolehide top 50 debut

Several players made the most of their time in Guadalajara, and their rankings jumps prove it. See which WTA players cracked rankings milestones this week.

Sofia Kenin at the 2023 US Open Image Credit: Zuma / Panoramic

Chris Oddo

September 25, 2023

Another week of WTA tennis is in the books, and with it a bevy of players are making a late-season rankings push.

Let’s have a look at this week’s biggest risers…

Sakkari back to No 6

An incredible week at Guadalajara has lifted the spirits – and ranking – of Greece’s Maria Sakkari. She jumps from No 9 to No 6 after claiming her maiden 1000-level title, and closes in on a spot in the elite eight for this week’s WTA Finals in Cancun.

Dolehide makes top 50 debut

Prior to this week’s Guadalajara Open Akron, Caroline Dolehide had never held a ranking higher than No 99 in the world. She was 111 in the world when the tournament began, but after winning five consecutive matches and become the second lowest-ranked finalist in WTA 1000 history (since 2009), Dolehide will come in at No 42 in this week’s rankings – a 69-spot jump that takes the 25-year-old American to a career-high top 50 debut.

Kenin on her way back to the top

Guadalajara was also good for Sofia Kenin. The American reached the semi-finals in Mexico, before falling to Dolehide. She will rise 22 spots to No 31 in the world, which marks her highest ranking since January of 2022, as well as her return to the top 50 for the first time in that 20-month span.

Sofia Kenin the last two weeks 🔥

9/11/23: No. 93
9/18/23: No. 53
9/25/23: No. 31

Highest the 2020 #AusOpen champ has been ranked since 1/17/22! 💪 pic.twitter.com/3EmXtTubHn
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) September 25, 2023

Kenin has won eight of her last ten matches and is looking a lot more like the player that was ranked inside the top-5 in 2020 of late.

Emiliana Arango rises +60 to career-high 120

Colombia’s Emiliana Arango’s success last week was another massive storyline at Guadalajara. The 22-year-old turned heads as she earned her first two top 50 wins and made her maiden WTA 1000 quarter-final at Guadalajara. For her efforts, the former top 10 junior from Medellin, Colombia will jump to 120 in the world.

1 – Becoming the first Colombian to reach a WTA 1000 quarter-final, Emiliana Arango is also the first to reach the QF at their first WTA 1000 event since Elena Rybakina, who achieved the feat at Wuhan in 2019. Breakthrough. #GDLOpenAKRON | @WTAGuadalajara @WTA @WTA_insider pic.twitter.com/B2Ks52vWQH
— OptaAce (@OptaAce) September 20, 2023

Wang Xiyu +30 to 58

A title run on home soil has helped 22-year-old Chinese Wang Xiyu to jump 30 spots to No 58. Wang becomes the 11th first-time title winner on the WTA Tour this year.

Home is where the heart is ❤️

It's a first Hologic WTA Tour FINAL for Xiyu Wang and just look at what it means to her!!!
#GuangzhouOpen pic.twitter.com/9q4ru6gprh
— wta (@WTA) September 22, 2023

Taylor Townsend returns to the top 100

Don’t call it a comeback – just call it inspired tennis. It has been a longtime coming for left-handed dynamo Taylor Townsend, but she’s finally back in the top 100 for the first time since 2020. Townsend, who has been back on tour for a year and a half as a mother (she gave birth to baby boy Ayden Aubrey on March 14, 2021), rises 12 spots to No 89 thanks to a round of 16 performance at Guadalajara.

Townsend, the No 8-ranked doubles player on the WTA Tour, was barely inside the top 200 this time last year.

American Emma Navarro also made a career-high. She rises three spots thanks to a round of 16 performance at Guadalajara. Navarro was outside of the top 130 this time last year.