Toray Pan Pacific Open champion Naomi Osaka has solidified her place in the elite eight of the Porsche Race to Shenzhen after lifting her second trophy of the season last week.
Twice a runner-up at the tournament in 2016 and 2018 when it was held in Tokyo, Osaka took the title without conceding a set on its first year in Osaka, the city of her birth - the 21-year-old's first tournament win on home soil and her fourth overall. Consequently, the Australian Open champion rises two places to No.5 in the latest Porsche Race to Shenzhen update, over 300 points clear of Serena Williams in sixth place, as she seeks to make her second appearance at the WTA Finals.
Defending WTA Finals champion Elina Svitolina has also inched up one place to No.9, overtaking Kiki Bertens, off the back of a second-round showing in Guangzhou, where the Ukrainian was forced to retire against Marie Bouzkova due to right knee pain. That tournament's eventual champion Sofia Kenin, however, is gaining steam: the American's third title of the year moves her up two places to No.12, pushing Madison Keys and Marketa Vondrousova down one each.
Read more: 'I just wanted to win this really bad' - Osaka powers to hometown title at Toray Pan Pacific Open
Meanwhile, Osaka semifinalist Angelique Kerber has had a somewhat lean season by the three-time major champion's standards, but snapped a five-match losing streak to reach her sixth semifinal of the year, and as a result climbs two places to No.15. Further down, Seoul champion Karolina Muchova's career-best year has continued as the Czech's stylish tennis garnered her a maiden WTA title and an eight-spot rise to No.28, while Osaka runner-up Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova's best result since reaching the Australian Open quarterfinals in January sees the Russian lifted 22 places to No.40.
Here's how the Porsche Race to Shenzhen stacks up for the week of September 23:
