Last week, Madrid played host to the fourth WTA 1000 tournament of the season, and both finalists – Ons Jabeur and Jessica Pegula – made notable rankings movements. Jabeur, who became the first Arab and North African player to win a WTA 1000 title, earned 1,000 points. She improves three spots and equals her career-high ranking of No.7, a mark she first achieved on Nov. 1, 2021.
Pegula advanced to the final in Madrid, her first trip to a 1000-level final (in her 18th try) and came within one win of making her debut in the Top 10. Pegula, 28, climbs to a career-high ranking, moving from No.14 to No.11.
Best of Madrid
- Champions Corner: With an assist from her 'animal friends,' Jabeur comes up big in Madrid
- Champions Corner: How Dabrowski and Olmos ran through the Madrid field
- Jabeur outlasts Pegula to win first WTA 1000 title in Madrid
- Dabrowski, Olmos capture Madrid doubles title
Semifinal run leads to ranking boost for Alexandrova
Last week in Madrid, Ekaterina Alexandrova became the third qualifier in tournament history to advance the semifinals, joining Lucie Hradecka (2012) and Louisa Chirico (2016). Since 2009, only 11 qualifiers have managed to advance to the semifinals of a WTA 1000 tournament.
Alexandrova earned 420 ranking points and climbs 14 spots, moving from No.45 to No.31.
Andreescu returns to Top 100
After playing in her first two tournaments of the 2022 season, Bianca Andreescu has returned to the Top 100. Andreescu, who was ranked No.121 only three weeks ago, returned to the tour in Stuttgart – her first tournament since October. Last week in Madrid, the Canadian won back-to-back matches for the first time since the 2021 US Open with wins over Alison Riske and Danielle Collins. By advancing to the Round of 16 in Madrid, Andreescu climbs 21 spots, from No.111 to No.90.
WTA 125 title pushes Haddad Maia to a career-high
Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia reached the main draw in Madrid as a qualifier but lost in the opening round, allowing her instead to participate in the WTA 125 tournament in Saint Malo, France. As the No.4 seed in Saint Malo, Haddad Maia went on to capture her first career title, pushing her ranking this up 13 spots, from No.65 to a career-high of No.52. The 25-year-old Haddad Maia owns the best ranking by a Brazilian since April 4, 2016, when Teliana Pereira was No.49.
Haddad Maia wins biggest career title at WTA 125 Saint-Malo
First German Top 100 debut in seven years
After winning an ITF Circuit title in Zagreb, Croatia, earlier this month, Germany’s Jule Niemeier followed that up by reaching the semifinal of an ITF event in Wiesbaden, Germany. With both events being added to this week’s rankings, the 22-year-old jumps 16 spots (from No.110 to No.94) as she becomes the first German Top 100 debutante since 2015 when Laura Siegemund moved into the Top 100 on Sept. 14, 2015.
Other notable rankings movements
--Leylah Fernadez, who advanced to the second round in Madrid with a win over Andrea Petkovic, reaches a career-high of No.18 this week, moving up two spots.
--Madrid doubles champion Giuliana Olmos won her first title of 2022 and climbs nine spots to reach a career-high doubles ranking of No.11. Her partner, Gabriela Dabrowski, moves up one spot to No.8.
--After losing in the second round of qualifying in Madrid, Danka Kovinic went on to win an ITF Circuit title in Wiesbaden, Germany. Between the two events, Kovinic earned 160 ranking points and climbs 23 spots, from No.114 to No.91, the biggest jump among the Top 100 this week.
