Pavlyuchenkova edges Cibulkova in Strasbourg thriller

At the Strasbourg tournament, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Dominika Cibulkova played an incredible final, which lasted over three-and-a-half hours. Pavlyuchenkova ended up winning, 6-7 7-6 7-6, with only a few points the difference (the score in the final tie-break was 8-6). Pavlyuchenkova gained 87 rating points in Strasbourg, which has made her rise to #30 in the rankings. Cibulkova is ranked at #33 this week after gaining 16 rating points. Three other players receiving significant points were Mihaela Buzarnescu (+40, #57), Reka-Luca Jani (+31, #366) and Samantha Stosur (+24, #61).

The other WTA-tournament was in Nurnberg, where Johanna Larsson took the title. She beat Alison Riske in the final, 7-6 6-4. Larsson gained no less than 99 rating points, leading to a jump up the rankings from #106 to #71. Riske gained 34 rating points and is ranked at #67 this week. Honorable mention goes to Fanny Stollar, who reached the quarterfinal for a rating gain of 49 points and a ranking of #154.

At the Roland Garros qualifying tournament, the following twelve players qualified, in order of rating gain: Richel Hogenkamp (+50, #147), Francesca Schiavone (+45, #114), Magdalena Frech (+44, #140), Rebecca Peterson (+39, #74), Deborah Chiesa (+39, #127), Grace Min (+37, #234), Mariana Duque-Mariño (+34, #125), Alexandra Dulgheru (+34, #138), Caroline Dolehide (+32, #118), Barbora Krejcikova (+28, #134), Georgina Garcia Perez (+25, #190) and Viktorija Golubic (+10, #82).

This week's bonus is an updated progress ranking for this season. At the top of the list, Danielle Collins is leading the way by quite a margin, as she has accumulated 429 points already. Most of the top risers have been mentioned in these news items already, so I'd like to focus on the players rising more stealthily. The one that sticks out for me is Bernarda Pera, who is 2nd on this ranking list and is currently ranked #99 in the EPL-rankings. Her best performances have come at bigger tournaments: Australian Open, Charleston, Madrid. But there, her performances didn't really stand out so much against the backdrop of top players that were present. Still, she's one to watch the coming months. Another player quietly climbing the rankings is Petra Martic, #8 in the progress ranking, who had a very good result in Indian Wells, but has otherwise also performed beyond expectation. Martic is currently ranked #32, having started off her season at #77. At the tail end of the list, the players who lost the most points can be found, and there Peng Shuai is currently "leading" the pack at -210 points.

Svitolina takes Rome and #1 by demolishing Halep

Just before the Rome final, Simona Halep and Elina Svitolina looked poised to take over the top two positions together, with Halep in the lead for #1. The final turned out differently, however, with Svitolina running everything down and playing no-miss tennis, winning and thereby defending the title by the score of 6-0 6-4. In that final alone, Svitolina took 33 rating points off Halep, thereby passing her and taking over #1 from Petra Kvitova, who skipped this week's tournament. Overall, Svitolina gained 89 rating points, which made this jump from #5 to #1 possible. Halep came out of this tournament with a rating gain of 39 points, just enough to pass Kvitova for #2.

The most points this week went to Anett Kontaveit, who reached the semifinal in Rome by beating Coco Vandeweghe, Venus Williams and Caroline Wozniacki, all in straight sets. Kontaveit gained 124 points for a rise to #23 in the rankings. The other semifinalist, Maria Sharapova, gained 36 rating points, which was enough to reach a shared ranking of #10 (together with Victoria Azarenka).

At the 100K ITF-tournament in Trnava, the title went to Viktoria Kuzmova, who beat Veronica Cepede Royg in the final, 6-4 1-6 6-1. Kuzmova was both the highest rated player upfront and the one winning the most points, taking 42 points for a rise to #64 in the rankings. Cepede Royg gained 38 rating points, climbing to #123 on this week's ranking list.

In Saint-Gaudens, favorite Vera Lapko overclassed surprise finalist Quirine Lemoine in straight sets: 6-2 6-4. Lemoine could compete quite well in the rallies, but her serve was letting her down, giving Lapko too many opportunities to break. Lemoine did take away more rating points from Saint-Gaudens, gaining 48 points for a rise to #196. Lapko conquered 32 points, rising to #93 in the EPL-ranking.

At the 25K-tournament in La Bisbal d'Emporda, the title went to Kathinka von Deichmann, who defeated Sara Sorribes Tormo in the final, 6-3 3-6 6-3. Von Deichmann gained 56 rating points, rising to #186, while Sorribes Tormo acquired 38 points for a rise to #135. Honorable mention goes to Montserrat Gonzalez, who reached the quarterfinal for a rating gain of 32 points and a ranking of #291.

Kvitova rises to top after overcoming Bertens in thrilling Madrid final

In a show of clay court mastery, Petra Kvitova overcame Kiki Bertens at the Madrid Mutua Open: 7-6 4-6 6-3. Both finalists played near their best level and Kvitova, even though she appeared to be the more fatigued of the two, managed to squeeze out some incredible points under pressure in the third set. For Bertens, this final was her first at a Premier Mandatory event, while Kvitova won Madrid for the third time. Kvitova's EPL-rating improved by 82 points, leading to a jump in the rankings from #5 all the way to #1. For Kvitova, this is her first number one EPL-ranking. Bertens collected even more points, 146, for a ranking jump to #17. Significant points were also gained by Bernarda Pera (+63, #102), Caroline Garcia (+52, #10), Kristina Mladenovic (+48, #68), Karolina Pliskova (+44, #4), Anett Kontaveit (+43, #37) and Simona Halep (+42, #3).

The ITF-tournament in Cagnes-sur-Mer, always an interesting lead-up tournament to Roland Garros, was won by Rebecca Peterson, who defeated Dayana Yastremska in the final, 6-4 7-5. Peterson gained the most rating points, at 55, and has risen as a result to #86 in the ranking. Yastremska gained 44 points for a ranking of #147. Other notable gains were made by Ons Jabeur (+33, #133) and Bibiane Schoofs (+28, #313).

At the 25K-ITF-tournament in Rome, Martina Di Giuseppe ousted Fanni Stollar in the final, 7-5 7-6. Di Giuseppe gained her first rating with this result, and added 59 points to her start rating for a debut ranking of #292. Stollar lost 7 rating points for a ranking of #189. Honorable mention goes to another newcomer, Monika Kilnarova, who made the semifinal for a rating gain of 25 points and a debut ranking of #414.

Short four-week summary: Mertens wins two tournaments

This update includes the results from weeks 15 to 18 of 2018.

Week 15 (ranking April 15):
Bogota, won by Anna-Karolina Schmiedlova, def. Lara Arruabarrena 6-2 6-4. Major rises: Schmiedlova (+92, #120), Arruabarrena (+52, #105), Dalila Jakupovic (+52, #159).
Lugano, won by Elise Mertens, def. Aryna Sabalenka 7-5 6-2. Risers: Vera Lapko (+56, #116), Sabalenka (+45, #33), Mertens (+40, #25).
Istanbul-ITF, won by Sabina Sharipova, def. Elena Rybakina 7-6 6-4. Risers: Sharipova (+60, #244), Rybakina (+16, #104).
Indian Harbour Beach-ITF, won by Caroline Dolehide, def. Irina Bara 6-4 7-5. Risers: Dolehide (+52, #125), Bara (+50, #220).

Week 16 (ranking April 22):
Fed Cup, semifinals and playoffs. Risers: Petra Kvitova (Cze, +42, #5), Viktoria Kuzmova (Svk, +39, #73), Eugenie Bouchard (Can, +37, #89), Jelena Ostapenko (Lat, +35, #18). Falls: Mandy Minella (Lux, -46, #165), Angelique Kerber (Ger, -42, #8), Ekaterina Makarova (Rus, -38, #26).
Zhengzhou, won by Zheng Saisai, def. Wang Yafan 5-7 6-2 6-1. Risers: Zheng Saisai (+69, #101), Han Xinyun (+42, #285), Lu Jia-Jing (+26, #368), Wang Yafan (+22, #79).
Dothan-ITF, won by Taylor Townsend, def. Mariana Duque-Mariño 6-2 2-6 6-1. Risers: Sesil Karatantcheva (+44, #179), Duque-Mariño (+38, #137), Francesca Di Lorenzo (+36, #259), Townsend (+26, #111).

Week 17 (ranking April 29):
Stuttgart, won by Karolina Pliskova, def. Coco Vandeweghe 7-6 6-4. Risers: Vandeweghe (+72, #15), Pliskova (+44, #5), Anett Kontaveit (+43, #49), Veronika Kudermetova (+38, #176), Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (+34, #39).
Istanbul, won by Pauline Parmentier, def. Polona Hercog 6-4 3-6 6-3. Risers: Parmentier (+107, #116), Hercog (+80, #77), Donna Vekic (+43, #64), Arantxa Rus (+31, #127).
Quanzhou-ITF, won by Zheng Saisai, def. Liu Fangzhou 6-3 6-1. Risers: Liu Fangzhou (+41, #193), Lu Jia-Jing (+30, #344), Zheng Saisai (+20, #95).
Charlottesville-ITF, won by Mariana Duque-Mariño, def. Anhelina Kalinina 0-6 6-1 6-2. Risers: Kalinina (+36, #235), Duque-Mariño (+35, #131).

Week 18 (ranking May 5):
Prague, won by Petra Kvitova, def. Mihaela Buzarnescu 4-6 6-2 6-3. Risers: Buzarnescu (+74, #56), Jasmine Paolini (+57, #184), Camila Giorgi (+30, #32), Kvitova (+27, #5).
Rabat, won by Elise Mertens, def. Ajla Tomljanovic 6-2 7-6. Risers: Mertens (+72, #13), Tomljanovic (+53, #81).
Anning, won by Irina Khromacheva, def. Zheng Saisai 3-6 6-4 7-6. Risers: Khromacheva (+57, #199), Zheng Saisai (+17, #80).
Khimki-ITF, won by Vera Lapko, def. Anastasia Potapova 6-1 6-3. Risers: Potapova (+48, #208), Lapko (+41, #104).
Gifu-ITF, won by Kurumi Nara, def. Moyuka Uchijima 6-2 7-6. Risers: Nara (+38, #109), Abbie Myers (+37, #413), Uchijima (+22, #418).
Charleston-ITF, won by Taylor Townsend, def. Madison Brengle 6-0 6-4. Risers: Katerina Stewart (+45, #258), Townsend (+43, #101), Iga Swiatek (+37, #407).

Bertens finds her groove on green clay in Charleston

Last week marked the transition to the clay court season with a tournament on green clay in Charleston and a hard court tournament in Monterrey. In Charleston, Kiki Bertens won her first Premier title, playing two matches on the final day: a grueling semifinal against Madison Keys (7-6 in the third) and a more comfortable final, with a scoreline of 6-2 6-1, against Julia Goerges, who appeared more tired from her (shorter but later) semifinal. Bertens profited from her superior footwork on clay, which also made her stronger mentally. As a result, Bertens gained 111 rating points, raising her to #30 in the EPL-rankings. Goerges remains at #12 in the rankings after her rating gain of 12 points. Notable rating gains were made by Fanny Stollar (+53, #206), Bernarda Pera (+43, #118) and Kristyna Pliskova (+40, #69).

In Monterrey, the title went to first-seed Garbiñe Muguruza, who had a comeback win against Timea Babos, 3-6 6-4 6-3. Muguruza gained 34 points with her victory, leading to a rise to #6 in the rankings. For Babos, her 32 point rating gain lifted her to #38 in the rankings. The most points went to Sachia Vickery, who reached the semifinal and collected 49 points as a result, leading to a ranking of #82. The rest of the field did not score wins or losses of more than 20 rating points.

On the ITF-circuit, the tournament in Kashiwa was won by Luksika Kumkhum, who, just like last week in Kofu, beat Bianca Andreescu in the final, this time by the scoreline of 6-3 7-6. Kumkhum received 31 points for a rise to #60 in the ranking, while Andreescu won 23 points for a ranking of #138.

Stephens defeats Ostapenko for Miami title

Sloane Stephens impressed this week with a determined run to the Miami title. In the final she defeated Jelena Ostapenko after a close first set, after which the young Latvian started misfiring: 7-6 6-1. Along the way, Stephens had ousted quite a few sturdy opponents: Garbiñe Muguruza, Angelique Kerber and Victoria Azarenka. Stephens's rating gain was quite impressive at +161 points, where fellow finalist Ostapenko collected 94 rating points. In the rankings, Stephens rises to #14, while Ostapenko climbs to #23.

Even more impressive than Stephens's run was that by Danielle Collins, who collected 168 points by reaching the semifinal. Her most impressive performance was a 6-2 6-3 victory over Venus Williams in the quarterfinal. This brings her to #99 in the rankings, a Top 100 debut, but her rise is so quick I expect Collins to rise quite a bit further over the coming months. Victoria Azarenka gained 101 rating points with her semifinal run, leading to a rise to #11 in the rankings. Other notable performances came from Wang Yafan (+87, #85), Sofia Kenin (+76, #111) and Zarina Diyas (+67, #63).

During Miami's first week, Olga Danilovic won an ITF-tournament in Santa Margherita di Pula by a walkover in the final against Federica di Sarra. Di Sarra gained 42 points, while Danilovic gathered 36 points. In this week's ranking, they're ranked #359 and #240, respectively.

The second week saw another tournament in Santa Margherita di Pula, this time won by Mandy Minella, who defeated Deborah Chiesa in the final, 6-3 7-6. Minella gained 48 EPL-points for a ranking of #137, while Chiesa lost 5 points for a ranking of #126. This time, Federica Di Sarra again scored well, gaining 33 points (resulting in the aforementioned rise to #359). Another ITF-tournament was played in Kofu, where the title went to Luksika Kumkhum, who beat Bianca Andreescu in the final by the score of 6-3 6-3. They also gained the most rating points, with Kumkhum taking 33 points for a rise to #68, and Andreescu collecting 19 points for a rise to #153.

Finally, most of the top players lost quite a number of points in Miami, with the notable exception of Elina Svitolina, who gained 12 points for a rise from #4 to #3. Serena Williams stays at #1 despite a first round loss against Naomi Osaka.

Osaka produces incredible run to her first title in Indian Wells

In a tournament full of upsets and blossoming talent, two twenty-year-olds made the final in Indian Wells: Naomi Osaka and Daria Kasatkina. Osaka was the more consistent and aggressive player and took the final 6-3 6-2. For Osaka this is her first title on the WTA-tour, and it's quite a tournament to do it at. Osaka had to play seven matches to win this title, as she was unseeded and therefore didn't receive a first-round Bye. Even more impressive is her gain in EPL-rating of 201 points, which has smashed the previous record at this type of tournament, +135, which was held by Jamie Hampton from the 2012 version of Indian Wells. Naomi Osaka's run started with straight sets victories over Maria Sharapova and Agnieszka Radwanska, and really gathered steam with a 6-2 6-3 over Karolina Pliskova and a most impressive 6-3 6-0 over Simona Halep in the semifinal. She has shown she can compete with the best and her rise to #12 in the rankings is reflective of that.

Daria Kasatkina's run was similarly impressive, with straight sets victories over Sloane Stephens, Caroline Wozniacki and Angelique Kerber - that last one in 6-0 6-2! - but a grueling three-set semifinal against Venus Williams may have taken its toll in the final for Kasatkina. Her rating has risen by 102 points, resulting in a rise to #13 in the rankings, just one point behind Naomi Osaka.

This year's tournament in Indian Wells saw more than its share of surprise runs. Amanda Anisimova gained 116 rating points by dismissing both Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Petra Kvitova in straight sets, only to fall against Karolina Pliskova in the fourth round. Anisimova has risen to #101 in the rankings. Petra Martic also surprised by reaching the quarterfinal, taking Simona Halep to three sets there and gaining 114 points in the process. Barbora Strycova and Jelena Ostapenko were among her victims. Martic's ranking this week is at #35. Other notable rises were shown by Danielle Collins (+93, #164), Maria Sakkari (+92, #62) and Caroline Dolehide (+87, #154).

All these upsets have also shaken up the top ranks a bit, with Simona Halep's drop to #2 as the most notable result. Halep lost 60 rating points along the way, even as she reached the semifinal, because she played too many three-setters. And her devastating loss against Osaka cost her 44 points alone. As a result, Serena Williams rose to #1 even as she lost 31 points by losing to her sister Venus in the third round. As for Venus Williams, her run to the semifinal gained her 70 rating points and made her rise to #7 in the rankings.

On the ITF-circuit, the first week of Indian Wells saw tournaments in Zhuhai and Yokohama. In the final in Zhuhai, Maryna Zanevska beat youngster Marta Kostyuk, 6-2 6-4. The most rating points went to Zanevska (+67), Kostyuk (+35) and Anna Kalinskaya (+30). At Yokohama, the winner was Veronika Kudermetova, who beat Harriet Dart in the final, 6-2 6-4. Here the most points went to both Harriet Dart and Han Na-Lae (each +26), whereas Kudermetova only gained 21 points because her first three opponents were not rated.

The second week saw a tournament in Shenzhen, which was won by Viktoria Kuzmova, who beat Anna Kalinskaya in the final, 7-5 6-3. Kuzmova and Kalinskaya both gained 37 rating points here. There was also a Japanese ITF-tournament this week at Toyota, at which Dejana Radanovic won, having beaten Katherine Sebov in the final, 6-4 3-6 6-4. Here, Radanovic gained 40 points, Sebov 34. Finally, at the ITF-tournament in Santa Margherita di Pula, Basak Eraydin took the title by defeating Elitsa Kostova in the final, 6-4 6-1. The most points went to newcomer Federica Di Sarra (+57, #400), while Eraydin took 38 points, Michaela Honcova gained 29 and Kostova received 21 points.

The resulting rankings of the ITF-performers are: Zanevska #184, Kostyuk #160, Kalinskaya #162, Kudermetova #247, Dart #225, Han Na-Lae #236, Kuzmova #80, Radanovic #255, Sebov #349, Eraydin #299, Kostova #337 and Honcova #399.

Tsurenko wins Acapulco after comeback against Voegele

Last week's main tournament was played in Acapulco, where Lesia Tsurenko won the title after a very tight final against Stefanie Voegele: 5-7 7-6 6-2. For Tsurenko this meant a successful defense of her title from last year. Tsurenko's EPL-rating has improved by 74 points, leading to a ranking jump to #35. For Voegele, the rating gain was even higher, 81 points, leading to a rise to #101. Another major improvement was shown by Rebecca Peterson, who reached her first semifinal for a gain of 65 points and a rise to #90 in the rankings.

A new challenger tournament was played last week in Indian Wells, just ahead of the big Premier Mandatory tournament which starts this week. The challenger was won by Sara Errani, who defeated Kateryna Bondarenko in the final, 6-4 6-2. Errani gained 67 rating points, rising to #43 in this week's ranking, while Bondarenko collected 31 points for a rise to #67. Honorable mention goes to Amanda Anisimova, who gathered 49 points by reaching the semifinal, rising to #128, and the other semifinalist Ajla Tomljanovic, who gained 32 points for a ranking of #102.

This week's update includes a seasons' progress ranking as well. This update shows the resurgence of Angelique Kerber quite convincingly. The German has collected a respectable 259 points since the start of the season so far, leading to a rapid rise back into the Top 10. The other revelation of the season so far is 15-year-old Marta Kostyuk, who won several ITF-tournaments in Australia and has amassed 197 rating points. Currently Kostyuk is ranked #182, but considering her rapid rise, her actual level of play seems worthy of a Top 30 position, maybe even Top 20. We'll just have to see how she will develop over the course of the season.

Two other major risers this season are Mihaela Buzarnescu (+148, #64) and Elise Mertens (+141, #22). On the downside, the lack of form with Jelena Ostapenko is notable, as she has lost 168 rating points over the last months, leading to a drop in the rankings to #28. She's closely followed in this regression ranking by Pauline Parmentier, Peng Shuai and Tatjana Maria, who have also performed under par so far this season.

Svitolina successfully defends Dubai title

Elina Svitolina won this year's Dubai tournament again, this time as a normal Premier-tournament, where last year it was a Premier 5 with 56 players. Nonetheless, Svitolina played well, as can be seen from the scoreline of the final against Daria Kasatkina: 6-4 6-0. Also, she won the most rating points, at 53. She remains at #5 in the ranking, but has closed the gap with the top 4. Kasatkina gained 48 points and has climbed back into the Top 20 as a result; she is now ranked #19. For the rest, there were no gains or losses of over 30 EPL-points.

At the tournament in Budapest, Alison van Uytvanck won the title by defeating top-seed Dominika Cibulkova in a very tight final, 6-3 3-6 7-5. Van Uytvanck gained an impressive 101 points with her Budapest performance, and has risen to #44 in the rankings as a result. Last week she was ranked #79. Cibulkova gained 32 rating points and is now ranked #25. Honorable mention goes to Viktoria Kuzmova, who made the semifinal as a lucky loser, and gained 58 rating points for a rise to #96, her Top 100 debut. Ysaline Bonaventure also performed well, reaching the quarterfinal for a 49 point rating gain and a rise to #158 in the ranking.

The second ITF-tournament in Perth was won by Gabriella Taylor, her second title in three weeks. She beat Myrtille Georges in the final, 6-2 7-5. Rating-wise, this tournament resulted in gains for Taylor (+50, #269), Georges (+29, #237) and semifinalist Jaqueline Cristian (+28, #380).

The tournament in Altenburg was won by Harriet Dart (+65, #266), who defeated Karolina Muchova (+40, #301) in the final, 7-6 6-2. And finally, in Rancho Santa Fé, Asia Muhammad (+59, #204) won the tournament by defeating Kurumi Nara (+19, #118) in the final, 6-4 2-6 7-6. Ann Li acquired a rating by making the semifinal in Rancho Santa Fé: she gained 40 points for a debut ranking of #389.

Halep takes #1 as Kvitova wins Doha tournament

The week from February 12-18 was home to the Premier 5-tournament in Doha. Most top players participated, and Petra Kvitova turned out the winner, beating Garbiñe Muguruza in the final, 3-6 6-3 6-4. Kvitova's form was impeccable this week, and as we have come to know, if she plays like that, she's next to unstoppable. Kvitova gained 81 rating points in Doha and went from #5 to #4 in the ranking. Muguruza gained 62 points and is ranked #8 this week, up from #12. The most rating points went to Catherine Bellis, who reached the quarterfinal having beaten Daria Kasatkina, Madison Keys and Karolina Pliskova. Bellis gained 86 EPL-points for a rise to #28 in the ranking. Simona Halep reached the semifinal and then retired, but gained 25 points overall, which was enough to pass Serena Williams for the #1 ranking position. A ranking debut was earned by wild card Fatma Al Nabhani, who enters the ranking at #144.

At the ITF-tournament in Perth, Irina Khromacheva won the title, having beaten newcomer Katy Dunne in the final, 6-2 6-3. Khromacheva gained 57 points for a ranking of #228, while Dunne gained 38 points on top of her start rating and debuts at #277 in the rankings.

At the other ITF-tournament in Surprise, Yanina Wickmayer ended up the winner, after beating Ana Sofia Sanchez - another newcomer - in the final, 3-6 6-3 6-4. Sanchez took away 37 rating points, more than the other participants. Her debut ranking this week is #386. Wickmayer was the highest ranked participant in Surprise, and thus took away just 12 points for a ranking of #97.

Fed Cup week sees Serena Williams return to competition

This week was dominated by Fed Cup play, with Germany beating Belarus in the final doubles rubber, 6-4 in the third set, as the most interesting matchup of the week, especially considering the fact that Germany played with Antonia Lottner and Tatiana Maria, which could rightly be considered a B-team. In addition to Germany, the semifinalists will be France, Czech Republic and the United States. Pretty much the usual suspects.

An interesting feat of the USA vs. Netherlands match was that Serena Williams returned to competitive play by contesting the final doubles match together with her sister Venus. This also means Serena has regained her EPL-rating, and is once again included in the ranking list. And surprise, surprise, she returned just in time to regain the #1 position right away.

The most points in Fed Cup play this week were gained by India's Ankita Raina (+75, #285) and Serbia's Olga Danilovic (+74, #269). Daria Gavrilova of Australia lost the most points (-67, #32) by losing both her singles matches against Ukraine.

On the ITF-circuit, the tournament in Launceston was won by Gabriella Taylor, who defeated Asia Muhammad 6-3 6-4 in the final. Taylor has gained 61 points for this victory and rises to #333 in the rankings. Muhammad took away 20 rating points for a ranking of #246. Another tournament was processed in Loughborough, which was won by Tereza Smitkova, who beat Conny Perrin in the final, 6-3 6-2. Smitkova gained 27 points for a ranking of #179, while Perrin received 23 points for a rise to #218.

Kvitova dismisses Mladenovic in Saint-Petersburg final

Petra Kvitova has found her way back to winning ways this week, as she captured the title in St. Petersburg. In the final, she encountered a resurgent Kristina Mladenovic, who had been struggling to win matches over the last six months. Kvitova was dominant in the final, which she won 6-1 6-2. Both finalists scored well in the rating-department, with Mladenovic gaining 59 points for a rise from #90 to #71 - where six months or so ago she was in the Top 10 - and Kvitova receiving 58 points for a rise to #5. Newcomer and qualifier Elena Rybakina reached the quarterfinal, receiving a start rating of 4808 and adding 49 points to that for a debut ranking of #95. Caroline Wozniacki had made the brave decision to play in St. Petersburg immediately after winning the Australian Open, but in the quarterfinal she ran into an excellent Daria Kasatkina, who beat her in two sets. Thus, Wozniacki lost 29 rating points, and she is now passed by Simona Halep for the #1 position.

In Taipei, the WTA-tournament was won by Timea Babos, who defeated Kateryna Kozlova in the final, 7-5 6-1. Babos gained a respectable 67 points, which lifts her to #37 in the rankings. Kozlova acquired 48 EPL-points, leading to a ranking of #70. Semifinalist Wang Yafan performed above expectation as well, gaining 53 points for a rise to #115.

At the 60K ITF-tournament in Burnie, the title went to Marta Kostyuk, the surprise 15-year-old Ukrainian who had reached the third round at the Australian Open. In the final, she beat Viktorija Golubic in straight sets, 6-4 6-3. For Kostyuk, this resulted in a gain of 54 EPL-rating points and a rise to #190. Over the course of seven matches she has now accumulated 167 rating points, which leads me to the conclusion that currently Kostyuk is performing at a level somewhere around 5200 rating points - or almost Top 20-level. She'll probably need a year or so to get there if she keeps this up. Runner-up Golubic gained 5 rating points and is ranked #85 this week. Olivia Rogowska reached the semifinal in Burnie and gained 40 points for a rise to #246 in the rankings.

Finally, in Midland, at the 100K-tournament, Madison Brengle won by defeating Jamie Loeb in the final, 6-1 6-2. For Brengle, this has resulted in a rating gain of 63 points and a rise to #67 in the rankings. Loeb also played a good tournament, e.g. beating Jennifer Brady in the semifinal, and she gained 41 points leading to a ranking of #179. Quarterfinalist Bianca Andreescu (+26, #149) gained the most points apart from the finalists.

First Grand Slam title for Wozniacki in Melbourne, #1 as a bonus

In her third Grand Slam final, Caroline Wozniacki finally prevailed. At the Australian Open, she conquered her first major title, and returned to the #1 position in both rankings (WTA and EPL) as a result. Wozniacki's road to the title was rocky, especially with her near defeat against Jana Fett in the second round (where she saved match points), but from that match on, she had a good run to the final. There she met Simona Halep, who had had an even more difficult trajectory, with a 15-13 third set victory against Lauren Davis in the third round, and a grueling semifinal against Angelique Kerber which went to 9-7 in the third. In both these matches, Halep faced match points against her.

The final itself was enthralling. Wozniacki started off excellently, getting an early break with aggressive tennis. Halep grew into the match as the first set progressed, and broke back just in time to get to 5-5 and eventually reach a tie-break. Wozniacki dominated the tie-break again, taking the first set 7-6. In the second set, Halep started to put on more pressure, but from 3-2 onwards she appeared to suffer from dizziness a bit, though this hardly affected her level of play. Wozniacki seemed a bit distracted by this, gave up a break and lost the second set 6-3. The third set was a roller coaster in which both players were fatigued, but still managed to play intense tennis. Wozniacki got up a break twice, leading 3-1, when Halep upped her level again, taking three games in a row to start serving leading 4-3. Wozniacki broke back, held serve and left the best for last, winning an extraordinary rally at 5-4 30-30 to set up match point, which she took when Halep netted a forehand.

Rating-wise, Wozniacki gained 76 points while Halep added 39 points, leading to Wozniacki claiming the #1 spot and Halep remaining at #2. The most points, +146, went to surprise semifinalist Elise Mertens, who had impressed by defeating Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinal 6-4 6-0. Mertens has risen to #15 in the ranking as a result. Svitolina lost 51 points and dropped from #1 to #3. The other major risers were Angelique Kerber (+115, #6), Marta Kostyuk (+113, #228), Hsieh Su-Wei (+108, #57), Denisa Allertova (+102, #61), Bernarda Pera (+94, #138), Lauren Davis (+82, #78) and Naomi Osaka (+81, #35). The most lost points came from Peng Shuai, who had lost to newcomer Kostyuk in the first round for a loss of 72 rating points, dropping to #37 in the ranking.

As for other tournaments played during the Australian Open, there was an ITF-tournament in Orlando during the first week which was won by Anhelina Kalinina, who defeated newcomer Julia Grabher in the final, 6-2 3-6 7-5. Kalinina gained 54 rating points for a ranking of #244, while Grabher gained 27 points for a debut ranking of #263. The second week saw a WTA125 tournament in Newport Beach, California, which was won by Danielle Collins, who beat Sofya Zhuk in the final, 2-6 6-4 6-3. Collins gained 79 rating points with her victory, rising to #224. Semifinalist Mayo Hibi gathered 66 points for a ranking of #287, while Zhuk received 34 points and is ranked #195 this week. On the ITF-circuit, Andrézieux-Bouthéon was played, which was won by newcomer Georgina Garcia-Perez who beat Arantxa Rus in the final, 6-2 6-0. Garcia-Perez won 54 rating points for a debut ranking of #168, whereas Rus gained 33 points for a rise to #156.

Kerber conquers Sydney title, returns to Top 20

This week in Sydney, Angelique Kerber won her first title since 2016, beating up-and-comer Ashleigh Barty in the final, 6-4 6-4. Kerber started with two difficult three-set wins against Lucie Safarova and Venus Williams, and finished off with three dominant matches for a rating gain of 94 points. Kerber rose in the ranking from #29 to #17. The other major riser in Sydney was Camila Giorgi, who impressed with her run to the semifinal, losing to Kerber at that stage. Giorgi gained 69 points for a rise to #31. Barty gained 20 points for a ranking of #20.

Elise Mertens successfully defended her title in Hobart, beating the quickly rising Mihaela Buzarnescu in the final, 6-1 4-6 6-3. For Mertens, this resulted in a gain of 53 EPL-rating points and a ranking of #33. Buzarnescu gained 83 points for a ranking of #71. Honorable mention in Hobart goes to Heather Watson, who reached the semifinal for a rating gain of 54 points, leading to a ranking of #55.

The third big event this week was the qualification for the Australian Open. The highest ranked qualifiers are Viktorija Golubic (+28, #74) and Luksika Kumkhum (+52, #82). The most points were gained by qualifiers Irina Falconi (+62, #135), Anna Kalinskaya (+60, #194), Magdalena Frech (+59, #178) and Ivana Jorovic (+58, #199). The other qualifiers were Denisa Allertova, Viktoria Kuzmova, Anna-Karolina Schmiedlova, Anna Blinkova, Zhu Lin and newcomer Marta Kostyuk.

Brisbane title brings Svitolina to top of ranking

Plenty happened in the first week of the 2018 season. The top 3 players played different tournaments, and all reached the final.

Current #1 Caroline Wozniacki played in Auckland, a tournament which had to deal with many rain delays. En route to the final, Wozniacki had dropped a set to Sofia Kenin, which cost her quite a few rating points. In the final, she encountered red hot Julia Goerges, who started 2018 where she left off at the end of 2017: consistently playing very well. In the final, Goerges overpowered Wozniacki and won in straight sets, 6-4 7-6. This led to Goerges gaining 50 rating points for a rise to #9, and Wozniacki losing 19 points for a rating of 5451. The most points went to qualifier Sachia Vickery, who reached the semifinal for a gain of 87 points. Vickery climbs to #105 in the ranking. Sofia Kenin gained 61 points for a rise to #135.

Number 2 Simona Halep played in Shenzhen, where, en route to the final, she had to come from a set down in her quarterfinal against Duan Ying-Ying. In the final, she encountered the defending champion Katerina Siniakova, who put up serious resistance but succumbed in the third set: 6-1 2-6 6-0 to Halep. Halep gained 16 rating points for a rating of 5470 - Wozniacki's old rating. Siniakova gained the most points (+69, #41), followed by Irina-Camelia Begu (+39, #63) and Aryna Sabalenka (+30, #60).

Number 3 Elina Svitolina played the tournament in Brisbane, and reached the final with only Johanna Konta taking a set off her in the quarterfinal. In the final she met a surprise opponent in qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich, whom she didn't have many problems with: 6-2 6-1. Svitolina gained 49 rating points with her victory, leading to a new rating of 5483, enough to overtake Halep and Wozniacki for the #1 position. The most points in Brisbane went to Kaia Kanepi, who gained 55 points for reaching the quarterfinal, losing to Karolina Pliskova in three sets. Kanepi climbs to #57 in the ranking. Sasnovich gained 52 points for a ranking of #61.

In short, the top of the ranking has been shuffled around, with Svitolina going from #3 to #1, Wozniacki dropping from #1 to #3 and Halep staying at #2.

On the ITF-circuit, a tournament was played in Playford (near Adelaide), with two newcomers reaching the final: Zoe Hives and Alexandra Bozovic. The final was very tight, with Hives winning in a final set tie-break: 6-4 5-7 7-6. Both players started with a rating of 4315 points, with Hives gaining 80 points for a ranking of #377, and Bozovic gained 44 points for a ranking of #397.

Back in December, a 100K ITF-tournament was played in Dubai, which was won by Belinda Bencic. She defeated Ajla Tomljanovic in the final, who retired after losing the first set 6-4. Bencic gained 39 points for a December 18 ranking of #36, while Tomljanovic gained 37 points for a ranking of #120. The December 18 ranking list has been included in this post.

First two weeks in the off season: short update

This time a short update covering the first two weeks after the end of the 2017 season. In the first week, Taipei and Toyota were played. Taipei, a WTA125 tournament, was won by Belinda Bencic, after beating Arantxa Rus in the final, 7-6 6-1. Rating movers: Rus (+51, #171) and Bencic (+42, #41). The ITF-tournament in Toyota was won by Mihaela Buzarnescu, who beat Tamara Zidansek in the final, 6-0 6-1, leading to a rating gain of 38 points and a ranking of #106 on November 20.

The second week saw two WTA125-tournaments, in Mumbai and Honolulu. Mumbai was won by Aryna Sabalenka, who met Dalila Jakupovic in the final and defeated her 6-2 6-3. Sabalenka gained 43 points for a rise to #71, while Jakupovic gained 34 points for a ranking of #219. In Honolulu, Zhang Shuai was the favorite and won by beating Jang Su Jeong in the final, 0-6 6-2 6-3. Jang gained the most points (+65, #189), while Zhang gained just 5. Honorable mention goes to Julia Boserup, who gained 43 points for a ranking of #164.