Rankings watch: Alexandrova makes Top 10 debut, Bejlek cracks Top 100
The Hologic WTA Tour’s WTA 1000 season wrapped up last week as Coco Gauff won her 11th career title at the Dongfeng Voyah · Wuhan Open without dropping a set.
Gauff, who defeated Jessica Pegula in the fourth all-American final of the year, remains at No. 3 in this week's edition of the PIF WTA Rankings. Pegula moves up one place to No. 5.
The week's most significant milestone belongs to Ekaterina Alexandrova, who climbs one spot to make her Top 10 debut, at No. 10, after reaching the Wuhan third round.
At 30 years and 11 months, Alexandrova is the third-oldest player in rankings history to break into the Top 10 for the first time, following Roberta Vinci (33 years and 0 months when she entered the Top 10 in February 2016) and Betty Stove (31 years and 3 months when she entered the Top 10 in October 1976).
Alexandrova became the third player to debut in the Top 10 this season, joining Mirra Andreeva and Amanda Anisimova. Her rise caps a year marked by both breakthrough moments and steady results. She won her first WTA 500 title in Linz, reached two more finals in Monterrey and Seoul, and advanced to four additional semifinals.
Before 2025, Alexandrova had reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam only once in 30 main-draw appearances. This season, she did it at three straight majors -- Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open. She also earned five of her 19 career Top 10 wins, highlighted by her first victory over a reigning World No. 1, defeating Aryna Sabalenka 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5) in the second round at Doha -- one of only two tiebreak losses for Sabalenka this year.
Alexandrova is one of only seven players this season to record a tour-level winning streak of eight or more matches. Her run spanned eight consecutive victories, including the Linz title and a semifinal finish in Doha.
Wuhan quarterfinalists Siegemund, Siniakova return to Top 50
Laura Siegemund and Katerina Siniakova share more than a knack for doubles success. Both are multiple Grand Slam champions and former Top 5 players in that discipline. While neither has matched those heights in singles -- each peaked at No. 27 -- their touch and court sense have made them regular highlight producers and upset threats. Despite never cracking the Top 20, Siegemund owns 13 Top 10 wins and Siniakova 11.
Last week, both reached the Wuhan quarterfinals -- Siegemund doing so with her 13th Top 10 win, over Mirra Andreeva in the second round. Both returned to the Top 50.
Siegemund jumped 18 spots from No. 57 to No. 39, ending nearly five years outside the Top 50. The 37-year-old -- the second-oldest player in the Top 100 after fellow German Tatjana Maria -- last held a Top 50 ranking in February 2021. Her run in Wuhan marked her third career quarterfinal at WTA 1000 level or higher, following Roland Garros 2020 and Wimbledon this July.
Siniakova, 29, defeated three straight U21 opponents -- Diana Shnaider, Maya Joint and Iva Jovic -- to reach the Wuhan quarterfinals as a qualifier, her first at a WTA 1000 since Beijing 2018. She ended a 10-month absence from the Top 50 with a 17-spot rise from No. 62 to No. 45. The Czech has shown steady momentum in recent months, winning the Warsaw WTA 125 title in July and reaching the Seoul semifinals as a qualifier four weeks ago.
Bejlek makes Top 100 debut
Sara Bejlek, 19, became the 25th player to break into the Top 100 this year after compiling a seven-match winning streak at WTA 125 level. The Czech teenager won her third career WTA 125 title two weeks ago in Rende, Italy. This week, she followed it by making the Mallorca WTA 125 quarterfinals, but was forced to withdraw, citing a right hip injury.
Bejlek first cracked the Top 200 in July 2022 at the age of 16, and has already come through Grand Slam qualifying on six occasions. In 2024, she notched her first Top 30 win over Anna Kalinskaya en route to the last 16 of Madrid, and this year she scored her second over Marta Kostyuk at Roland Garros.
Bejlek also reached her first tour-level quarterfinal this year, on home soil in Prague. She is the second Czech teenager to make her Top 100 debut in 2025 following 18-year-old Tereza Valentova in July.
Bejlek is the third 2006-born player to crack the Top 100, following Maya Joint and Victoria Mboko. Of the 25 players to debut in the Top 100 this year, 11 were born in 2004 or later.
Other notable rankings movements
Iva Jovic, +4 to No. 35: For the second time this season, Iva Jovic reached the third round of a WTA 1000 event as a lucky loser, matching her Cincinnati run with another in Wuhan. The 17-year-old climbs to a new career high.
Ann Li, +4 to No. 42: Nearly four years after setting a career high of No. 44 in January 2022, Li has exceeded it. The 25-year-old American sank as low as No. 229 in April 2023 but returned to the Top 100 at the end of 2024 after reaching her third career WTA final in Merida. Li has added two additional runner-up showings in 2025, in Singapore and Cleveland, as well as reaching the fourth round of a major for the first time at the US Open. Last week, she made the second round of Wuhan.
Solana Sierra, +15 to No. 71: The 21-year-old Argentine captured her second WTA 125 title of the year in Mallorca last week -- and was presented with the trophy by compatriot, idol and former World No. 1 Gabriela Sabatini.
Moyuka Uchijima, +10 to No. 81: Madrid quarterfinalist Uchijima had lost 14 of her previous 15 matches heading into Wuhan -- but the Japanese player turned it around with three wins in a row, over Alexandra Eala, Wang Xiyu and Wang Xinyu, to qualify and make the second round.
Zhang Shuai, +23 to No. 119: For the second year in a row, Zhang delivered an impressive run at a home WTA 1000 event that included an upset of Emma Navarro. In 2024, she made the Beijing quarterfinals. This year, the 36-year-old reached the Wuhan third round for the first time since 2018.
Lola Radivojevic, +25 to No. 148: The 20-year-old Serb has reached back-to-back WTA 125 finals in the past two weeks, in Rende and Mallorca -- the first two of her career. She enters the Top 150 for the first time as a result.
Teodora Kostovic, +27 to No. 186: Another young Serb, 18-year-old Teodora Kostovic, made her first WTA 125 semifinal in Mallorca as a qualifier, falling to Radivojevic. Former junior No. 6 Kostovic has already scored three Top 100 wins this year and qualified for her tour-level debut in Madrid. She's climbed over 700 places since January, having started the season at No. 892.
Elizabeth Mandlik, +59 to No. 211: Former No. 97 Mandlik won the first ITF W100 title of her career last week in Edmond, where the 24-year-old American defeated junior No. 1 Julieta Pareja and 2024 Guadalajara finalist Olivia Gadecki.
Laura Samson, +55 to No. 218: Samson, 17, picked up her second ITF W50 title in her past three tournaments last week in Heraklion. The Czech teenager -- who reached the Prague semifinals in 2024 -- is up to a new career high.
Vendula Valdmannova, +48 to No. 366: The conveyor belt of young Czech talent keeps rolling. Former junior No. 15 Valdmannova, 17, dropped just one set en route to her first career ITF W35 title in Monastir two weeks ago, has compiled a 32-10 pro record this year so far and is up to a new career high.
Madison Brengle, +228 to No. 477: Former No. 35 Brengle was sidelined between September 2023 and April 2025 due to surgery for skin cancer. The 35-year-old won the first title of her comeback as a qualifier at the San Rafael ITF W35 two weeks ago and backed it up by making the Edmond ITF W100 quarterfinals this week.
Mika Stojsavljevic, +97 to No. 570: The 2024 US Open junior champion was runner-up at the Monastir ITF W35 two weeks ago to Valdmannova. The 16-year-old Briton rises to a new career high.