Rankings Watch: Mboko makes Top 10 debut, Muchova boosted after Doha title

It's taken Victoria Mboko just 14 months to rise from outside the Top 300 into the Top 10.

The 19-year-old makes her Top 10 debut in the PIF WTA Rankings this week after reaching the Doha final last week -- her fourth final on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz overall, all of which have come in the past seven months, and her second at WTA 1000 level. Along the way, she scored her third and fourth career Top 10 wins, over Mirra Andreeva in the third round and Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina in the quarterfinals.

This time last year, Mboko was winning an ITF W35 event in Manchester, England. She had played just one WTA main draw, having made her debut as a wild card at Granby 2022, and had yet to win a match at tour level. Now, she's the World No. 10, having climbed three places from No. 13 this week.

Mboko's jump means that there are two teenagers ranked in the Top 10 -- along with 18-year-old Andreeva at No. 7 -- for the first time in 17 years. The last time the Top 10 featured two teenagers was July 2009 -- an 18-year-old Caroline Wozniacki and a 19-year-old Victoria Azarenka.

Muchova snaps title drought in style

While Mboko has broken new ground in this week's rankings, it was Karolina Muchova who won the Doha title. This decade, the 29-year-old Czech has racked up an impressive amount of deep runs at the biggest tournaments -- she was the 2023 Roland Garros finalist, has made a further three Grand Slam semifinals, three Grand Slam quarterfinals and two WTA 1000 finals at Cincinnati 2023 and Beijing 2024. Her variety and flair have also made her a fan favorite.

Muchova's title count has lagged behind -- until last week, she had won just a sole WTA 250 title at Seoul 2019. But in 2026, she's delivered on-court consistency off the back of a period of good health. She's 12-2 this season already (including a win over Rybakina in Brisbane) and she conceded just one set in her Doha title run. Muchova, whose career high is No. 8, leaps eight places from No. 19 to No. 11 this week.

Sakkari, Cocciaretto return to Top 50

Maria Sakkari and Elisabetta Cocciaretto have both returned to the Top 50 after deep runs in Doha.

Former No. 3 Sakkari reached her first semifinal since Charleston 2024, a run that included a quarterfinal upset of Iga Swiatek -- the Greek's first Top 5 win since defeating Coco Gauff at Indian Wells 2024. A shoulder injury that year was the start of Sakkari's slide down the rankings -- she fell as low as No. 92 in May 2025. This week, she jumps 18 spots from No. 52 to No. 34.

Former No. 29 Cocciaretto has enjoyed a strong start to 2026. The Italian won her second career title in January as a qualifier in Hobart, then last week reached her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal in Doha as a lucky loser. Cocciaretto's run included her third career Top 10 win over Gauff in the second round. She rises 17 places from No. 57 to No. 40, returning to the Top 50 for the first time since October 2024.

Pliskova, Zvonareva on the comeback trail

Former Grand Slam finalists Karolina Pliskova and Vera Zvonareva both struck a blow for older generations last week in Doha. Pliskova, who was unranked last September before returning from a foot injury, dethroned defending champion Amanda Anisimova (via retirement) to reach the third round. The former World No. 1 leaps 151 places to No. 267.

Former World No. 2 Zvonareva was unranked as recently as December before reaching the Dubai ITF W100 final in her first tournament in 19 months. It wasn't a one-off -- the 41-year-old qualified for Doha and reached the second round, notching a trio of Top 100 wins (Zhang Shuai, Magdalena Frech and Peyton Stearns) along the way. She soars 223 places to No. 357 this week.

Korneeva captures first WTA 125 title

In 2023, Alina Korneeva defeated Mirra Andreeva to win the Australian Open junior crown -- but her transition to the professional tour in the following years has been beset by injuries. Korneeva reached a career high of No. 128 in March 2024, but her ranking has yo-yoed in and out of the Top 200 ever since.

Still only 18 years old, Korneeva has hit a hot streak in the past month, winning 13 of her past 14 matches. Last week, she claimed the first WTA 125 title of her career in Oeiras, adding to the Manama ITF W75 trophy she won in January. The tournament continued Korneeva's pattern of thriving in Portugal -- five of her eight professional titles have now been won in the country.

This week, Korneeva jumps 26 places from No. 157 to No. 131.

Oeiras runner-up Darja Vidmanova climbs to a new career high after reaching her first WTA 125 final. The 23-year-old Czech, an alumna of the University of Georgia, was ranked No. 322 this time last year; this week, she's up 14 places to No. 123. Meanwhile, 21-year-old Portuguese wild card Matilde Jorge leaps 30 spots to No. 257 after reaching her first WTA 125 semifinal on home soil.

Other notable rankings movements

Anna Kalinskaya, +5 to No. 28: Kalinskaya scored her first Top 10 win since August over Elina Svitolina to reach the Doha quarterfinals.

Tereza Valentova, +5 to No. 43: The 18-year-old Czech qualified and made the Doha second round, and is up to a new career high.

Varvara Gracheva, +13 to No. 60: Gracheva qualified and made the Doha third round, upsetting Linda Noskova for her sixth career Top 20 win in the second round.

Camila Osorio, +18 to No. 62: Osorio, the Manila WTA 125 champion two weeks ago, extended her winning streak to nine matches by qualifying and reaching the third round of Doha.

Hanne Vandewinkel, +11 to No. 124: The 21-year-old Belgian claimed the Pune ITF W75 final last week, and is now just two spots beneath her career high of No. 122.

Emerson Jones, +18 to No. 144: Jones, 17, won the third ITF W75 title of her career in Brisbane last week. The former junior No. 1 is up to a new career high.

Celine Naef, +41 to No. 231: The 20-year-old Swiss, who set her career high of No. 121 in October 2023, won her second ITF W50 title of 2026 in Grenoble last week.

Karolina Pliskova, +151 to No. 267: Former World No. 1 Pliskova continued her comeback from a foot injury by reaching the Doha third round, defeating defending champion Amanda Anisimova via retirement in the second round.

Jeline Vandromme, +27 to No. 279: This time last year, Vandromme was ranked No. 1,023. This week, the 18-year-old Belgian -- who is also the reigning US OPen junior champion -- enters the Top 300 for the first time after reaching the Grenoble ITF W50 final.

Tereza Martincova, +121 to No. 292: Former No. 40 Martincova was sidelined between July 2024 and March 2025 due to knee and wrist injuries. Two weeks ago, the 31-year-old won her first tour-level match since 2023 on home soil in Ostrava. She followed that by winning last week's Prague ITF W75 title as a qualifier -- the biggest title of her career, and first at any level since 2019.

Vera