Week in Review: Rybakina remains unstoppable; Kalinina breaks through

The Insider Wrap is a recap of everything you need to know from the week (or two) that was. Last week, Elena Rybakina
Performance of the Week: Elena Rybakina
Rybakina became the first player to win two WTA 1000 titles this year after taking home the Internazionali BNL d'Italia trophy.
She has reached the final or better at three of this year's five WTA 1000 events, posting a 19-2 win-loss record at this level. Before this year, her career win-loss record at WTA 1000 tournaments was 25-17.
Champions Corner: Rybakina’s unusual journey to the Rome championship
Overall, Rybakina has notched 28 match-wins this year, only one victory behind tour-leading Aryna Sabalenka
Continuing her stellar season 🏆
— wta (@WTA) May 20, 2023
Elena RybakinaView Profile | #IBI23 pic.twitter.com/VjNW5zwEGN
"I'm proud that I can maintain this level," Rybakina said after adding the clay-court Rome crown to her WTA 1000 Indian Wells hard-court title. "It's not easy, with all the scheduling, traveling. I think we're doing a good job with the team. I can see improvements on the court, physically also. I think we're on a right way."
Rybakina now reaches the Top 5 of the Hologic WTA Tour singles rankings for the first time, rising from No.6 to No.4. Rybakina also solidifies her spot at No.2 in the Race to the WTA Finals. She is only 564 points behind leader Sabalenka.
Breakthrough of the Week: Anhelina Kalinina
Kalinina came into Rome on a four-match losing streak and her ranking had dipped from a career-high No.28 in March to No.47 when the tournament began.
In Rome, Kalinina surged to her second career final, becoming the second player from Ukraine to reach a WTA 1000 final since that tier started in 2009. The other Ukrainian to make WTA 1000 finals is two-time Rome champion Elina Svitolina
Read more: Amid Ukraine crisis, Anhelina Kalinina
Kalinina beat three Top 25 players in her run to the final. And just like that, Kalinina can now call herself a Top 25 player for the first time, as she will rise to a new career-high of No.25.
Despite retiring from the final with a thigh injury, Kalinina looked back on Rome fondly. "I'm most proud of my fighting spirit these two weeks," she said. "I was fighting despite the score, any situation, any weather conditions, opponents. Everyone was very tough. A serious draw."
"I really hope that I give a small light and some positive emotions for my country" 💙💛@angie_kalinina | #IBI23 pic.twitter.com/q3sqdTKxmS
— wta (@WTA) May 19, 2023
Honor Roll
Beatriz Haddad Maia
Photo Gallery: Marathon Marvels 2023: All this year's three-hour matches
Zheng Qinwen: Last season's WTA Newcomer of the Year Zheng will make her Top 20 debut in this week's singles rankings after she became the third Chinese woman to make the Rome quarterfinals (after Li Na and Zhang Shuai).
Veronika Kudermetova
Storm Hunter and Elise Mertens
Champions Corner: Hunter and Mertens discover their chemistry in Rome
Jasmine Paolini
19 - Rybakina is the player with the most WTA-1000 wins in 2023 (19): since 2009, only Swiatek in 2022 (22), S. Williams and Sharapova in 2013 (21 each) and Azarenka in 2012 (20) had more after the first 5 events of the year. Super.#IBI23 | @InteBNLdItalia @WTA @WTA_insider pic.twitter.com/dJchTn9NJp
— OptaAce (@OptaAce) May 20, 2023
Notable Numbers
278: Elena Rybakina
47: At No. 47, Anhelina Kalinina
12: With her run to the Rome quarterfinals, Paula Badosa
Photo of the Fortnight
It was a rainy two weeks in Rome, but players battled through the conditions to perform their best at the last clay-court WTA 1000 event of the season. Below, Elena-Gabriela Ruse
Next up
Main-draw action started on Sunday at this week's two WTA 250 clay-court events, at the Grand Prix Son Altesse Royale La Princesse Lalla Meryem in Rabat, Morocco, and the Internationaux de Strasbourg in Strasbourg, France.
In Rabat, reigning champion Martina Trevisan
In Strasbourg, this year's Australian Open semifinalist Magda Linette
Highlights: Svitolina wins first tour-level match of comeback
Roland Garros qualifying also takes place this week, with 128 players vying for the last 16 spots in the main draw of the year's second Grand Slam event. Main-draw play at Roland Garros begins on Sunday, May 28.