Rankings Watch: Bejlek breaks Top 30; Noskova, Eala reach new career highs

For the second consecutive WTA 1000 event, a multiple Grand Slam champion ended a 10-month title drought with her first trophy of the season.

After Iga Swiatek won in Toronto, Coco Gauff captured her second Cincinnati title and her first since Wuhan last October. It was the 22-year-old’s 12th career title and fourth on home soil.

Gauff previously won Cincinnati in 2023, making it the second tournament she has won more than once. She also captured back-to-back titles in Auckland in 2023 and 2024.

Gauff defeated former doubles partner Jessica Pegula in Cincinnati’s first all-American final since Rosemary Casals beat Nancy Richey in 1970 and the first since the tournament became a WTA 1000 event in 2009. It was also the second all-American final of 2026, following Peyton Stearns’ victory over Taylor Townsend in Austin in February.

Pegula and Gauff remain at No. 3 and No. 4, respectively, in the latest PIF WTA Rankings, but the week’s biggest breakthrough belongs to 20-year-old Sara Bejlek.

The Czech, who won her first title in Abu Dhabi in February, reached her first WTA 1000 semifinal in Cincinnati. She earned her first Top 10 victory by upsetting World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the fourth round and also defeated Grand Slam champions Barbora Krejcikova and Madison Keys and former World No. 1 Karolina Pliskova.

This week, Bejlek rises six places from No. 35 to make her Top 30 debut at No. 29.

New career highs for Noskova, Jovic, Eala; Preston breaks Top 100

Three players in the Top 20 inch up to new career highs this week:

• Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova climbs two to No. 6 after reaching the Cincinnati fourth round;
• Iva Jovic made the Cincinnati third round, and is up two to No. 14;
• Washington champion Alexandra Eala moves two places to No. 18 after making the Cincinnati third round.

Additionally, Taylah Preston has become the 13th player to make her Top 100 debut in 2026. The 20-year-old was not in action last week -- she has not played since winning her first WTA 125 event in Vancouver last month -- but climbs one spot from No. 101 to No. 100 this week. Preston, who reached her first WTA semifinal in Hobart in January, is the second Australian to break the Top 100 in 2026, following Talia Gibson in March.

Tararudee, Sawangkaew make history for Thailand

Another pair of new career highs have resulted in rankings history for Thailand this week. For the first time ever, the Top 100 contains two Thai players -- Lanlana Tararudee (up seven places to No. 72 after reaching the final Cincinnati qualifying round) and Mananchaya Sawangkaew (up eight to No. 97 after defeating Tararudee to qualify for Cincinnati).

Tararudee and Sawangkaew have both been spearheading a resurgence in tour-level Thai tennis over the past two years. At Guangzhou 2024, Sawangkaew became the first player from her country to reach a tour-level quarterfinal since Luksika Kumkhum at Hong Kong 2018. In June 2025, she became the third Thai player in history to reach the Top 100, following Kumkhum and Tamarine Tanasugarn -- but was then sidelined by a back injury for the next six months.

At Chennai 2025, Tararudee became the first Thai player to reach a tour-level semifinal since Kumkhum at Seoul 2017, and in May this year the fourth from her country to break the Top 100. Both Sawangkaew and Tararudee contested this year's Australian Open main draw -- the second time two Thais had played a Grand Slam main draw, following the 2011 US Open (Tanasugarn and Noppawan Lertcheewakarn).

Parry returns to Top 50; Wang Xiyu, Blinkova back in Top 100

Strong performances in Cincinnati have boosted the following players by 15 or more places:

• Diane Parry reached the last 16 at WTA 1000 level or above for the third time in her career, and second time in 2026 following Roland Garros. The Frenchwoman is up 16 places to No. 50, three spots off the career high of No. 47 that she set in June;
• Wang Xiyu, who made the fourth round of Roland Garros as a qualifier, repeated the feat in Cincinnati. The former No. 49 is on the comeback trail from a shoulder injury this year, and climbs 26 places to No. 82 this week;
• Former No. 34 Anna Bliinkova qualified and made the Cincinnati second round, and jumps 17 spots to No. 94, returning to the Top 100 for the first time since May.

Other notable rankings movements

Susan Bandecchi, +16 to No. 152: At the age of 28, Bandecchi has hit a new career high after winning the Aldershot W35 two weeks ago. The Swiss player also made her Grand Slam main-draw debut at Roland Garros this year, reaching the second round.

Sloane Stephens, +32 to No. 208: Former US Open champion Stephens reached the Cincinnati third round, marking the first time she had won consecutive tour-level matches since making the 2024 Madrid third round.

Lois Boisson, +45 to No. 236: Former Roland Garros semifinalist Boisson also made the Cincinnati third round -- the first time she had won consecutive matches at any level since reaching the 2025 Beijing third round.

Rada Zolotareva, +92 to No. 285: The 17-year-old makes her Top 300 debut after winning her first W75 title as a qualifier in Kursumlijska Banja last week.

Luna Vujovic, +64 to No. 350: Former junior No. 8 Vujovic reached back-to-back W75 semifinals on home soil in Kursumlijska Banja over the past two weeks -- as a qualifier both times. The 17-year-old Serb rises to a new career high, and is now the second-highest ranked 2009-born player, behind No. 284 Julieta Pareja.

Lidia Encheva, +87 to No. 353: The 20-year-old Bulgarian reached her first W75 final in Kursumlijska Banja as a qualifier last week, and vaults to a new career high.

Sonja Zhiyenbayeva, +70 to No. 384: Pepperdine University college player Zhiyenbayeva is on a 12-match winning streak after backing up her Ourense W75 title with the Vigo W35 trophy two weeks ago. The 20-year-old Kazakh enters the Top 400 for the first time.

Jana Kovackova, +116 to No. 434: Czech 16-year-old Kovackova claimed her first W50 title in Prague last week, edging 18-year-old sister Alena 6-4, 2-6, 7-5 in the semifinals, and is up to a new career high. Kovackova is currently the reigning girls' doubles champion at all four Grand Slams, and the second-highest ranked 2010-born player behind No. 125 Kristina Liutova.