Monday marks a historic day across tennis as Novak Djokovic spends his 378th week as the top-ranked player on the ATP Tour. Djokovic breaks Stefanie Graf’s previous record, which she held for 28 years on the Hologic WTA Tour. Her 377th and final week as a World No.1 ended on March 31, 1997, when a 16-year-old Martina Hingis made her No.1 debut.
Graf is one of only five players to hold the No.1 ranking for 300-plus weeks throughout her career.
- Novak Djokovic: 378
- Stefanie Graf: 377
- Martina Navratilova: 332
- Serena Williams: 319
- Roger Federer: 310
Memorable title run for Krejcikova in Dubai
Barbora Krejcikova captured the title at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, the first WTA 1000 tournament of the season. She put together run that included wins over the Top 3 ranked women.
Champions Corner: Kudermetova, Samsonova cement partnership in Dubai
Krejcikova defeated No.2 Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinals, No.3 Jessica Pegula in the semifinals and top-ranked No.1 Iga Swiatek in the championship match. She became only the fifth woman to defeat the Top 3 at a single event since the inception of the tour rankings, a list that also features Graf, Serena Williams, Venus Williams and Sabalenka.
Krejcikova upsets Swiatek in Dubai to win first title of the year
By winning the title, Krejcikova earned 900 ranking points, enough to push her from No.30 to No.16.
Swiatek solidifies top spot
Swiatek reached back-to-back finals during the tour’s Middle East swing, winning her second title of 2023 in Doha before finishing as runner-up in Dubai. Swiatek collected a tour-leading 1,055 ranking points, followed by Krejcikova (901), Pegula (655) and Coco Gauff (450).
Muchova, Peterson return to the Top 100
Two former Top 50 players returned the the Top 100 this week. Karolina Muchova finished the Middle East swing with a 4-1 record. She advanced to the second round in Doha and reached the quarterfinals in Dubai before withdrawing from the tournament with a left abdominal injury. The 26-year-old former No.19 earned 245 ranking points. Her ranking climbed 46 spots (from No.123 to No.77).
Former No.43 Rebecca Peterson reached her first tour-level singles final since 2019 last week in Merida, a WTA 250 tournament in Mexico. The 27-year-old Swede reached the main draw via qualifying and won six matches, including a quarterfinal upset of No.1 seed Magda Linette, before falling in the final to Camila Giorgi.
The effort rewarded Peterson with 198 ranking points, helping her return to the Top 100. She moved up 41 spots (from No.140 to No.99).
Giorgi returns to winners circle and Top 50
Unseeded last week in Merida, Giorgi captured her fourth career singles title and first title since August 2021. Giorgi defeated three seeded opponents and won a championship trophy for the first time since Montréal two years ago. The title paved the way for Giorgi’s return to the Top 50 as she climbed 22 spots (from No.68 to No.46).
Giorgi picks up fourth career title in Merida
Kalinina, Parks hit new milestones
Two noteworthy new career highs this week belong to Anhelina Kalinina and Alycia Parks. Kalinina scored her sixth Top 20 win, her latest against Veronika Kudermetova, and reached the third round of Dubai. The Ukrainian makes her Top 30 debut by climbing four places to No.29.
Parks, who captured her first title three weeks ago in Lyon, made the second round in Merida. The American enters the Top 50 for the first time, rising one spot to No.50. This milestone comes just two months after Parks cracked the Top 100 in December.
Doubles success
Liudmila Samsonova and Veronika Kudermetova won the doubles title in Dubai. It was Samsonova’s her first career doubles title as her ranking reached a career high of No.59. The title run nudged Kudermetova up one spot to No.4.
Champions Corner: Kudermetova, Samsonova cement partnership in Dubai
