WTA Rankings Watch: Gauff, Badosa reach career highs

Last week the WTA Tour visited two new WTA 250 level tournaments, at the Emilia-Romagna Open in Parma, Italy, and the Serbia Ladies Open in Belgrade. While the Top 20 in both singles and doubles in the WTA Rankings remained unchanged, last week’s title winners – Coco Gauff (Parma) and Paula Badosa (Belgrade) – made significant movement as they continued their success on clay.

Gauff becomes youngest American to reach Top 25 in 23 years

American teenager Coco Gauff won the singles and doubles titles at Parma, becoming the youngest woman to sweep singles and doubles at a WTA event since Maria Sharapova at 2004 Birmingham. As a result, Gauff has reached a career-high ranking in both singles, at No.25, and doubles, at No.41.

At 17 years, 72 days old, Gauff is the youngest player to make her Top 25 debut since Sept. 12, 2005, when Nicole Vaidisova did so at 16 years, 142 days.

Gauff is the youngest American to make her Top 25 debut in nearly 23 years (Serena Williams, June 8, 1998).

After starting the year at No.48, Gauff was the No.9-ranked American and has currently improved her current position as fifth in line behind No.24 Madison Keys, No.14 Jennifer Brady, No.8 Serena Williams and No.5 Sofia Kenin.

In four clay-court events in 2021, Gauff owns a 12-3 record on the surface.

Clay-court success sparks Badosa

With a win in Belgrade this past week, Paula Badosa, 23, became the seventh player to capture her first WTA title in 2021. Since the start of the clay-court season, the Spaniard Badosa has posted a 13-2 record on the surface. She also reached back-to-back semifinals at Charleston and Madrid before winning Belgrade last week. Badosa has climbed from No.71 (the week of April 5) to a career-high of No.34 this week.

Osorio Serrano makes Top 100 debut

After reaching the semifinals in Belgrade last week as a qualifier, Maria Camila Osorio Serrano made her Top 100 debut. Her ranking jumped 17 spots from No.115 to 98. She becomes the fourth Colombian to reach the WTA Top 100 and first to do so since July 2018, when Mariana Duque-Mariño last cracked the Top 100.

Osorio Serrano has reached the semifinals or better in all three tour-level, main-draw appearances this year, posting an 11-2 record in main-draw matches (13-2 overall including qualifying).

Other notable ranking climbs

Wang Qiang (+9, from No.48 to 39): A finalist last week in Parma, Wang moved up nine spots, returning to the Top 40. It was the former World No.12's fifth career final, first on clay and first outside China.

Viktoriya Tomova (+15, from No.123 to No.108): The Bulgarian made the last four of Belgrade as a lucky loser - her second WTA semifinal of the season following Bogota. As a result, the 26-year-old hits a new career-high.

Ana Konjuh (+44, from No.188 to 144): A former Top 20 player returning from her fourth elbow surgery, Konjuh reached the final in Belgrade as a qualifier. Her 44-spot leap marks the biggest jump among this week’s Top 200.

Reka-Luca Jani (+36, from No.220 to No.184): The 29-year-old Hungarian made her WTA main draw debut at Budapest 2011 and qualified for her sole Grand Slam main draw to date at the US Open the same year. A decade on, Jani reached her first WTA quarterfinal in Belgrade. Having hit a career-high of No.147 in May 2012, she returns to her best ranking since July 2012.

Caty McNally (+2, from doubles No.38 to 36): McNally and Gauff teamed up to win their third title as a team last week in Parma. With two doubles titles in 2021, McNally climbed to a career-high of No.36 in this week’s doubles rankings.