The first Grand Slam of the 2022 is in the books. With the top seeds at the Australian Open winning the titles in both singles and doubles, there was no change at the top of the WTA Rankings. However, the results in Melbourne led to a shakeup. Here is an overview of some of the notable changes:

Barty Extends Reign at No.1

By capturing her second title in 2022 in as many tournament appearances, Ashleigh Barty extends her stay at No.1. This week marks Barty’s 113th week at No.1 overall, a spot she has held for the past 106 weeks, dating back to Sept. 9, 2019.

The Australian holds a 2,633-point lead over current No.2 Aryna Sabalenka. For Barty, her next notable rankings points drop will come in March, when her 2020 Doha semifinal points (350) will fall off. She will be set to defend her titles in Miami (1,000 points) and Stuttgart (470) followed by her finalist points in Madrid (650).

Australian Open Finalist Collins Makes Top 10 Debut

Following her runner-up performance in Melbourne, American Danielle Collins jumped 20 spots, from No.30 to No.10. For Collins, this is her Top 10 debut and she assumes the position as the highest-ranked American.

From April 2, 2012 until Oct. 17, 2021, the United States had at least one woman represented in the Top 10. On Oct. 18, 2021, Sofia Kenin dropped out of the Top 10, and for the past 14 weeks, there had been no Americans in the Top 10.

Badosa Takes Over As Highest-Ranked Spaniard

By advancing to the fourth round at the Australian Open, Paula Badosa was able to maintain her current ranking of No.6. With Garbiñe Muguruza’s second-round exit in Melbourne (dropping from No.3 to No.7), Badosa is now the highest-ranked Spanish woman.

Swiatek Reaches Career High

For the second time in her career, Iga Swiatek advanced to the semifinals at a Grand Slam. By reaching the final four in Melbourne, she collected 780 ranking points and jumps five spots (from No.9 to No.4), equaling her career-best ranking.

Iga Swiatek

Jimmie48/WTA

Qualifiers Earn Ranking Boost at Australian Open

By reaching the main draw at the Australian Open via qualifying, Su Jeong Jang (+29 , from No.210 to 181), Hailey Baptiste (+28, from No.165 to 137), Zheng Qinwen (+28, from No.108 to 80) and Lucia Bronzetti  (+26, from No.142 to 116), are among this week’s biggest ranking jumps. Zheng is making her Top 100 debut, while Baptiste and Bronzetti both reached a career-best ranking.

Czechs Stay Atop Doubles Rankings

Australian Open champions Katerina Siniakova and Barbora Krejcikova stay atop the doubles rankings, at No.1 and No.2, respectively. Siniakova has been No.1 since Nov. 15, 2021, following the Czech duo’s title run at the WTA Finals. Siniakova has been ranked No.1 in doubles for a total of 45 weeks.

Siniakova has won 19 of her past 20 doubles matches, with her only loss coming last year at the Billie Jean King Cup competition, where she played with Lucie Hradecka. During that streak, Siniakova won titles in Moscow (w/Jelena Ostapenko) and at the WTA Finals in Guadalajara (w/Krejcikova). In 2022, she won the Melbourne Summer Set 2 event (w/Bernarda Pera) and now the Australian Open.   

Siniakova holds a 325-point advantage over Krejcikova. Of their best 11 results, nine have come together.

Other Notable Rankings Movements

  • A quarterfinalist at the Australian Open, Kaia Kanepi owns the biggest rankings jump this week; she climbs 52 spots (from No.115 to No.63) and returns to the Top 100.
  • Frenchwoman Alize Cornet made her Grand Slam quarterfinal debut at the Australian Open, allowing her to move up 24 spots (from No.61 to No.37).
  • American Madison Keys climbed to No.28 this week, up 23 spots from her ranking before the Australian Open (No.51).
  • With the Australian Open rankings points from 2020 and 2021 both dropping this week, recent champions Sofia Kenin and Naomi Osaka’s rankings took notable hits. Kenin dropped 82 spots (from No.13 to No.95) and Osaka fell to No.85 (-71, from No.14 to No.85).