Emma Raducanu rises three places as Iga Swiatek tops WTA world ranking

British tennis star Emma Raducanu has risen three places to world No.77 after the WTA world rankings were updated ahead of the ‘Sunshine Double’. The former US Open winner had seen her ranking plummet from a career-high world No.10 last year amid a period of injury and poor form struggles.

The WTA rankings are based on a 52-week cumulative system with points from players’ top 16 performances contributing towards their total. The Grand Slams and WTA 1000-point tournaments carry the most ranking points – with this month’s Indian Wells and Miami Masters tournaments amongst them.

Heading into the ‘Sunshine Double’ the world No.1 remains Iga Swiatek who has a clear points advantage over her rivals. The Polish star was ranked the top women’s tennis player in the world after winning both the Indian Wells and Miami events last season.

The 21-year-old went on to win both the French and US Opens last season to boost her ranking further and ended the year as world No.1. Belarusian star Aryna Sabalenka is currently world No.2 after winning her first Grand Slam crown at the Australian Open in January and gaining 2000 ranking points in the process.

The rankings remain unchanged since the Australian Open with American Jessica Pegula ranked third going into this week’s prestigious Indian Wells tournament while Ons Jabeur is fourth. 

Swiatak currently has a lead of over 4,000 points in the women’s rankings but those positioned below her could change after this month’s ‘Sunshine Double’. Raducanu has 784 ranking points but has still risen three places from her previous ranking, despite struggling with injuries in the first few months of the year.

A run to the latter stages of either tournament in the States would give the British star a welcome lift further up the world rankings.

Don’t miss…
Schwartzman suffers ‘unbearable’ abuse as security protection issued [LATEST]
Serena Williams’ dad used flashlight in strange training method [LATEST]
Ukrainian tennis player teams up with Russian and slams Wimbledon ban [LATEST]

Raducanu’s ranking meant she required a wildcard for both the Indian Wells and Miami tournaments to avoid qualifying matches. The 20-year-old pulled out of last week’s ATX Open in Austin due to tonsillitis and has played just two tournaments this season.

The British No.1 retired from the ASB Classic in Auckland with an injured ankle and recovered in time for the Australian Open when she was beaten in the second round by talented American and world No.6 Coco Gauff. 

Source: Read Full Article