Mladenovic Returns to No.1
After winning back-to-back titles at Roland Garros, along with titles at the 2019 Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen and 2020 Australian Open, Frenchwoman Kristina Mladenovic has returned to the top of the WTA Doubles Rankings this week.
Mladenovic secured her return by advancing to the championship match in Rome, playing alongside Marketa Vondrousova.
Mladenovic first climbed to the top of the doubles rankings on June 10, 2019. This week marks her ninth week as World No.1, having most recently held the distinction for the week of February 24, 2020.
Of her 8,420 ranking points, 5,550 come from winning titles at 2020 Australian Open (2,000 points), 2020 Roland Garros (2,000 points) and 2019 WTA Finals (1,500 points). Following the points earned from the 2019 Wimbledon semifinals (780 points), the finalist points earned at Rome last week (585 points) stands as her fifth most points earned at a tournament in her current ranking summary.
Swiatek Makes Top 10 Debut
Poland’s Iga Swiatek captured her third title in past seven months last week at Rome, adding to a trophy list that already includes 2020 Roland Garros and 2021 Adelaide.
At 19 years old, Swiatek is the fourth teenager to have won a title at the WTA 1000 level (including Premier 5 and Premier Mandatories) since 2009 - following Victoria Azarenka (2009 Miami), Belinda Bencic (2015 Toronto) and Bianca Andreescu (2019 Indian Wells, 2019 Toronto).
With her title run in Rome, Swiatek makes her Top 10 debut this week as she becomes the sixth teenager to make her Top 10 debut since 2008 joining Andreescu, Bencic, Azarenka, Caroline Wozniacki, and Agnieszka Radwanska.
Prior to winning Roland Garros in October, Swiatek was ranked World No.54 and today she finds herself sitting at World No.9 in the WTA Rankings.
Zvonareva Returns to Top 100
For the first time since the week of August 26, 2019, former World No.2 Vera Zvonareva has returned to the Top 100. The 36-year-old Russian advanced to the third round in Rome last week as a qualifier, highlighted by a three-set win over No.10-ranked Petra Kvitova. That was her first Top 10 win on clay in 11 years (2010 Charleston, defeated No.2 Caroline Wozniacki).
By earning 135 ranking points in Rome, Zvonareva jumped 17 spots in the WTA Rankings (from No.113 to No.96) as she returns to the Top 100.
Victory in The Eternal City for 🇨🇦 @sharon_fichman and 🇲🇽 @guguolmos!
— wta (@WTA) May 16, 2021
The alternate entrants defeat Mladenovic and Vondrousova in the breaker to take the doubles title! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/8c8NpJ8p7N
Rome Doubles Champs Reach Career-Highs
Giuliana Olmos and Sharon Fichman saved two match points in the championship match as the duo captured the doubles title in Rome. Both Olmos (+18, to No.30) and Fichman (+19, to No.31) achieved career-high rankings this week after capturing the biggest title of their respective careers.
Other Notable Ranking Jumps
Jelena Ostapenko +8 (from No.49 to No.41): A quarterfinalist in Rome, Ostapenko defeated No.18-ranked Johanna Konta in the opening round, and followed it up with wins over Ajla Tomljanovic and former World No.1 Angelique Kerber before falling to Karolina Pliskova.
Coco Gauff +5 (from No.35 to No.30): The American teenager makes her Top 30 debut this week after reaching the semifinals in Rome as she positions herself to earn a seed at Roland Garros.
Clara Burel + 22 (from No.166 to No.144): The former junior World No.1 won the biggest title of her career so far at the Saint-Gaudens ITF W60, defeating Alexandra Dulgheru in the final. The 20-year-old Frenchwoman, who made the third round of Roland Garros as a wildcard last year, hits a new career-high.
Katie Volynets +99 (from No.299 to No.200): The 19-year-old American won the Bonita Springs, Florida ITF W100, scoring her second career Top 100 win over No.81 Madison Brengle en route. It earns her a spot in the Top 200 for the first time in her career. The 99-spot jump is this week’s biggest among the Top 200.
Irina Khromacheva +238 (from No.568 to No.330): Former World No.89 Khromacheva won the La Bisbal d'Empordà ITF W60 title last week - her biggest trophy since the 2018 Anning WTA 125. The Russian also scored her first Top 100 win since 2018 in the final, defeating Arantxa Rus 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(8).
Alexandra Dulgheru +231 (from No.674 to No.443): Former World No.26 Dulgheru is also on the comeback trail again. The Romanian made it to the final of the Saint-Gaudens ITF W60 before losing to Burel, with her run including an upset of Saint-Malo 125 champion Viktorija Golubic in the semifinals. That was Dulgheru's first Top 100 win since beating Kristyna Pliskova at Wimbledon 2018.
