Rankings Watch: Gauff returns to Top 3; Baptiste, Gibson continue to rise
This year's Sunshine Swing on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz wrapped up last week with just the sixth example of a successful Sunshine Double in the Open Era. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka swept all before her in both Indian Wells and Miami, defending the latter title for the loss of just one set.
Sabalenka's career trophy haul now stands at 24 (with 15 coming at WTA 1000 level or above), including three in 2026 already. She is the only player to have won multiple titles this season so far, and became the first woman since Iga Swiatek in 2022 to complete the Sunshine Double.
A day after Sabalenka sealed the feat, ATP No. 2 Jannik Sinner also completed his own Sunshine Double, marking just the fourth time that a WTA player and an ATP player have swept Indian Wells and Miami in the same year (following Stefanie Graf and Pete Sampras in 1994, Kim Clijsters and Roger Federer in 2005, and Victoria Azarenka and Novak Djokovic in 2016).
Miami runner-up Coco Gauff is the highest-placed mover in the latest edition of the PIF WTA Rankings. The 22-year-old reached her 15th career final, and her first at her home state tournament. She climbs one place from No. 4 to No. 3, swapping positions with Iga Swiatek.
Meanwhile, Karolina Muchova continued her strong start to the season by reaching the Miami semifinals. The former No. 8, who also won her first WTA 1000 title in Doha last month, climbs three places from No. 14 to No. 11.
Iva Jovic, 18, is the only player in the Top 20 to reach a new career high this week. The American teenager made the third round in Miami, and moves up one spot to No. 16.
Baptiste, Gibson back up their breakthroughs, climb to new career highs
Hailey Baptiste and Talia Gibson had already laid down markers of their 2026 improvement ahead of Miami: Baptiste reached her first career semifinal in Abu Dhabi, while Gibson broke through with a run to the Indian Wells quarterfinals as a qualifier. In Miami, both delivered strong performances once again.
Baptiste upset Elina Svitolina in the third round for her second career Top 10 win en route to her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal. The 24-year-old American leaps 12 places from No. 45 to No. 33.
Gibson came through qualifying again, then made it to the fourth round via upsets of Naomi Osaka and Jovic. The 21-year-old Australian had never beaten anyone ranked inside the Top 60 prior to Indian Wells; in March alone, she has racked up five Top 20 wins. She also jumps 12 places from No. 68 to No. 56.
Snigur, Bartunkova, Vandewinkel make Top 100 debuts
Three players have broken the Top 100 for the first time this week.
Ukraine's Daria Snigur was the 2019 Wimbledon junior champion, and notably won her first three career encounters with Top 20 opponents -- Simona Halep at the 2022 US Open, Beatriz Haddad Maia at Nottingham 2023 and Marta Kostyuk at Nottingham 2024. By July 2024, Snigur had risen to No. 105 in the rankings -- but 12 months later, she fell back out of the Top 200.
This season, Snigur has been resurgent. The 24-year-old reached her first WTA semifinal in Cluj-Napoca and followed that with her first WTA 125 title in Oeiras. Last week, she swept to the Murska Sobota ITF W75 title without dropping a set, taking her season record to 24-5 so far and boosting her ranking 17 spots from No. 110 to No. 93.
Like Snigur, Nikola Bartunkova also won her first ever meeting with a Top 10 player, defeating Belinda Bencic at the Australian Open on her Grand Slam debut e nroute to the third round. The 20-year-old Czech followed that run up by reaching the Ostrava quarterfinals on home soil. Making the final round of Miami qualifying has enabled her to climb six spots from No. 101 to No. 95, becoming the fourth 2006-born player to enter the Top 100 (joining Victoria Mboko, Maya Joint and Sara Bejlek).
Belgium's Hanne Vandewinkel has made her Top 100 debut off the back of a remarkable 19-match ITF winning streak encompassing the Pune W75, Bengaluru W100 and Trnava W75 titles. Vandewinkel's run was only halted two weeks ago by Tatiana Prozorova in the Maribor W75 final.
Ranked No. 163 as recently as last October, the 21-year-old climbs eight places from No. 104 to No. 96 this week. Vandewinkel, who reached the final round of US Open qualifying and lifted her first WTA 125 title in Tampico last year, will make her WTA main-draw debut in Bogota this week.
Other notable rankings movements
Sorana Cirstea, +6 to No. 29: As recently as last August, Cirstea was ranked outside the Top 100 as she made her way back from foot surgery. The 35-year-old has found top form as she embarks on her final season, reaching the Miami fourth round and returning to the Top 30 for the first time since June 2024. Cirstea is just eight spots off the career high of No. 21 that she set back in January 2014.
Anastasia Zakharova, +8 to No. 66: Zakharova saved match point to upset Anna Kalinskaya to make the Miami third round -- her second career Top 30 win, and one that boosts the 24-year-old to a new career high.
Yuliia Starodubtseva, +19 to No. 89: The Ukrainian reached the third round of Miami as a qualifier, and returns to the Top 100 for the first time since September.
Lilli Tagger, +7 to No. 108 and Emerson Jones, +11 to No. 136: The two highest-ranked 2008-born players both received Miami wild cards, and both used them as a springboard for their first WTA 1000 victories -- Tagger saved match point to defeat Ella Seidel, while Jones squeaked past Linda Fruhvirtova in a third-set tiebreak. Both teenagers are up to new career highs this week.
Anhelina Kalinina, +8 to No. 119: Former No. 25 Kalinina continued her strong comeback from a six-month injury layoff by reaching her fourth consecutive WTA 125 final in Dubrovnik last week.
Sofia Costoulas, +14 to No. 134: The 20-year-old Belgian reaches a new career high after capturing her second career ITF W75 title two weeks ago in Kofu.
Andrea Lazaro Garcia, +23 to No. 147: At the age of 31, Spain's Lazaro Garcia is delivering her career-best results. Having reached her first WTA 125 final last month in Les Sables d'Olonne, she went one better last week to claim her first WTA 125 title in Dubrovnik. The Florida University alumna enters the Top 150 for the first time this week.
Tatiana Prozorova, +18 to No. 157: Prozorova ended Hanne Vandewinkel's 19-match winning streak in the Maribor W75 final two weeks ago -- a result that also reversed her loss to the Belgian in February's Pune W75 final.
Wang Xiyu, +47 to No. 179: Former No. 49 Wang returned from a five-month injury layoff to sweep the Maanshan W35 and W50 titles in her native China back-to-back over the past two weeks.
Harmony Tan, +26 to No. 202: Former No. 90 Tan captured the Croissy-Beauborg W50 title last week, and is back up to her highest ranking since July 2024.
Aliona Falei, +37 to No. 238: Falei, 22, compiled a 13-match winning streak in March -- back-to-back W35 titles in Monastir, followed by a semifinal run at last week's Maanshan W50.
Julieta Pareja, +54 to No. 269: Former junior No. 1 Pareja captured her biggest title to date at the Chihuahua W50 two weeks ago. The 17-year-old American becomes the first 2009-born player to crack the Top 300.
Sloane Stephens, +163 to No. 554: Former No. 3 Stephens snapped a 14-match tour-level losing streak dating back to Wimbledon 2024 by reaching the Miami second round.
Françoise Abanda, +109 to No. 883: Former No. 111 Abanda returned to action after a two-year hiatus last April. The 29-year-old Canadian reached the first final of her comeback as a qualifier at the Gonesse W15 two weeks ago.