Flashback Friday: Venus Williams reaches WTA World No.1 20 years ago

20 years ago, on February 25, 2002, 21-year-old American Venus Williams ascended to the top of the WTA Rankings for the first time in her career, overtaking her compatriot Jennifer Capriati at the top spot.

Setting the Stage

For the second straight year, Williams won Wimbledon and the US Open in 2001, yet it was still not enough for Williams to occupy the top spot in the rankings. Until October 15, 2001, Martina Hingis held the No.1 spot for a span of 73 consecutive weeks, a streak that began on May 22, 2000.

On October 15, 2001, Hingis was overtaken by Capriati, who held the No.1 ranking for only three weeks after making her debut before being overtaken by fellow American Lindsay Davenport. Capriati then returned to the top spot 10 weeks later on January 14, 2002, setting the stage for Williams. The first five tournaments of the 2002 season proved to be pivotal in Williams's climb to No.1.

Five Key Moments

1. Gold Coast Final: Williams defeats Justine Henin

Williams started the 2002 season in the Gold Coast as the top seed. The American had a tough road to the final, facing Patty Schnyder, Ai Sugiyama and Nadia Petrova en route to the championship match, which was a rematch of the 2001 Wimbledon final against Justine Henin. As she had done in their two previous meetings, Williams topped Henin 7-5, 6-2, capturing her 21st career singles title.

2. Australian Open Quarterfinals

Playing at the Australian Open for the fourth time in her career, Williams once again advanced to the quarterfinal stage, as she had done in her previous three appearances, going as far as the semifinals in 2001. Williams's run in Melbourne came to an end at the hands of Monica Seles, marking the only time Seles would defeat Williams in their 10 career meetings.

3. Williams Defeats Mauresmo in Paris

With the World No.2 ranking in hand, Williams traveled to Paris for the Open Gaz de France, an indoor tournament staged in the first week of February. As the top seed, Williams faced France’s Amelie Mauresmo in the semifinals, where Williams rallied for a comeback win 4-6, 7-6(3), 7-5. The victory proved to be enough for Williams to secure the title in Paris as Jelena Dokic withdrew prior to the championship match, giving Williams the title via walkover.

4. Williams Secures Back-to-Back Titles

The following week, Williams traveled to Antwerp, Belgium for the Proximus Diamond Games. After defeating Mauresmo for the second consecutive week in the semifinals, Williams faced the No.2 seed and previous tournament champion Justine Henin in the championship match. Henin playing in front of her home crowd set the stage for a potential upset, but Williams emerged victorious in three sets, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3. 

5. Wins Over Kournikova, Myskina Pave Way

Playing at a WTA Tour event for the third consecutive week, Williams traveled to Dubai following her title in Antwerp. After earning a bye in the opening round as the top seed, Williams went on to defeat a pair of Russians, Anna Kournikova and Anastasia Myskina, in her first two matches, giving her 17 wins in her first 18 matches of 2002. It was France’s Sandrine Testud who snapped Williams's nine-match win streak in the semifinals, ending her run in Dubai — but that would be enough.

Ascent Complete

Williams's strong start to the 2002 season paved the way for her climb to the top of the WTA Rankings. By the time she reached No.1, Williams owned 23 career singles titles, but it was her back-to-back triumphs at the Paris Indoors and Antwerp along with the semifinal run in Dubai which pushed her to the top of the WTA Rankings for the first time in her career.

Williams would spend a total of 11 weeks at No.1 during the 2002 season.  

Here is a look at the WTA Rankings Top 10 from Monday, February 25, 2002: