This week’s Top 10 in the WTA singles rankings remain unchanged, while a couple of title-runs, at the VTB Kremlin Cup in Moscow and the Tenerife Ladies Open in Spain, paved the way for new career-high marks.

Kontaveit streaking

Anett Kontaveit won her third singles title of the 2021 season, and fourth of her career, in Moscow at the final WTA 500 tournament of the season. The 25-year-old Estonian continues her hot streak. She has now won 21 of her past 23 matches, a stretch that includes title-runs at Cleveland in late August and at Ostrava in late September.

Before winning the title in Cleveland, Kontaveit was ranked No.30, and this week she equals her career-high ranking of No.14, a mark she first achieved on April 1, 2019.

Kontaveit was in need of a title to keep her hopes alive for qualifying for the WTA Finals, the season-ending championship that showcases the Top 8 players in the World based on the Porsche Race to the WTA Finals Leaderboard. She now must win a title this week in Cluj-Napoca in order to slide into the eighth and final qualifying position.

First title lifts Li

American Ann Li captured her first career singles title last week in Tenerife, a WTA 250-level tournament. After winning her opening match in three sets against wildcard Nuria Parrizas Diaz, Li did not drop a set the remainder of the tournament.

Li beats Osorio to win first WTA singles title: Tenerife Highlights

Playing in her 15th main-draw event of her career, Li makes her Top 50 debut this week, checking in at a career-high of No.48. Of the 10 Americans ranked in this week’s Top 50, at 21 years old she is the second youngest, behind only 17-year-old Coco Gauff, who sits at No.24.

The doubles No.1 shuffle continues

This week Hsieh Su-Wei regains the WTA doubles No.1 ranking, the 41st week she has held this position. Hsieh most recently held the top spot the week Sept. 13, 2021. Since then, the No.1 ranking has moved from Hsieh to Elise Mertens, to Barbora Krejcikova, then back to Mertens before returning to Hsieh this week. The year-end doubles No.1 ranking will be on the line at the WTA Finals.

Other notable movements

  • Moscow finalist Ekaterina Alexandrova climbed four spots, moving from No.37 to No.33.
  • Colombia’s Camila Osorio, a finalist in Tenerife, moves up 10 spots from No.63 to a career-high No.53
  • A quarterfinalist in Tenerife, Zheng Saisai moves up nine spots in this week’s rankings, from No.86 to No.77.