Emma Radukanu
Emma Radukanu’s qualifier-to-champion run at the US Open on Monday jumped 127 places to a career-high 23rd in the WTA rankings.
The 18-year-old from Britain started the year in 345th place, reaching 179th in the fourth round of Wimbledon on her Grand Slam debut in July and Flushing Meadows in 150th place. Radukanu then won all 20 sets she played in 10 victories – three in qualifying and seven in main draws – to become the youngest woman to win a major championship. Maria Sharapova was 17 at Wimbledon in 2004.
Radukanu is the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam title.
Canada’s 19-year-old Leyla Fernandez, who went down 6-4, 6-3 in the final on Saturday, also made a big jump in the rankings, from 73rd to a career-best 28th.
Ash Barty and Aryna Sabalenka finished at No. 1 and 2, while 2018 and 2020 US Open champion Naomi Osaka moved from No. 3 to No. 5 after losing to Fernandez in the third round.
Karolina Pliskova is now at number three, and Elina Svitolina is at number 4 after reaching the quarterfinals in New York.
No. 1 Novak Djokovic is still comfortably ahead of No. 2 Daniil Medvedev in the ATP rankings after Medvedev defeated Djokovic 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in the US Open men’s final. This prevented Djokovic from becoming the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to complete a calendar-year Grand Slam – and from breaking the men’s career record of 20 major titles that he currently shares with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. .
When asked if he can adjust his schedule to try to overtake Djokovic by the end of the season, Medvedev replied, “I think, honestly, it’s almost impossible.”
“It’s not my first goal in my mind – to try to achieve it,” said 25-year-old Medvedev of Russia, who finished runner-up to Djokovic at this year’s Australian Open and Nadal at the 2019 US. to open. “If I manage to do it one day, that’s great.”
Two players who made their major quarterfinal debuts at the US Open have made significant jumps: South Africa’s Lloyd Harris has moved up 15 places to 31st and Spain’s 18-year-old Carlos Alcaraz has moved up 17 places to 38th.
Two Americans broke into the top 20 for the first time on Monday: 17-year-old Coco Gauff is ranked 19th in the WTA rankings; Reilly Opelka, 24, is ranked 19th in the ATP rankings.
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