Rankings Watch: Navarro hits career high; Swiatek widens gap

Following the BNP Paribas Open, numerous players shifted positions in the latest WTA rankings, offering a clearer picture of who is making a consistent impact this season.

Emma Navarro, Marta Kostyuk and Yuan Yue have established themselves as contenders for 2024's most improved player with career-best WTA 1000 performances, resulting in new personal ranking highs.

Navarro, who beat Aryna Sabalenka for her first win against a Top 3 player, climbs three places to No.20. Ranked No.122 this time last year, the American ended 2023 at No.38 in which she focused on WTA 125 and ITF tournaments. But she's had little trouble bringing that match-winning momentum to the main tour in 2024. Navarro won Hobart for her first tour-level title in January. She also reached semifinals in Auckland and San Diego.

Former Australian Open junior champion Kostyuk continues to hit new milestones each month this year with her new coach, Sandra Zaniewska. Kostyuk reached her first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the Australian Open, her first WTA 500 final in San Diego and, last week, her first 1000-level semifinal in Indian Wells. Kostyuk moves six places, from No.32 to No.26.

Five months ago, Yuan was ranked No.146. Between January and October of 2023, she compiled a 25-26 record overall, but only 3-9 at the tour level. Then she reached her first WTA final in Seoul -- and hasn't stopped winning. Since then, Yuan's record is 32-9, and the milestones keep coming. 

Champion Swiatek widens gap, Hsieh takes over top spot

World No.1 Iga Swiatek won Indian Wells for a second time, dropping only 21 games in six matches. The gap between her and No.2 Sabalenka is now more than 2,500 points.

Hsieh Su-Wei captured the Indian Wells doubles title for a fourth time overall. Hsieh climbs one spot to replace Mertens as the doubles No.1, returning to the summit for the first time since November of 2021.

Of note, Swiatek and Hsieh both took over the top positions in the Race.

Wozniacki, Kerber, Osaka continue climbing

Among the comebacks to watch for this year, three returning mothers stood out in Indian Wells. Former No.1s Caroline Wozniacki and Angelique Kerber both delivered their strongest performances of the season -- resulting in a nostalgic fourth-round matchup between the pair, their 16th meeting overall 16 years after the first.

Wozniacki took it 6-4, 6-2 to reach her first tour-level quarterfinal since Auckland 2020 and rockets up 75 places from No.204 to No.129. Her run also included wins against Zhu Lin and Donna Vekic. Wozniacki played eventual champion Swiatek tough before being forced to retire from their match with a right foot injury.

Kerber had won only one of her first seven matches back this year, but she became the lowest ranked player to defeat a Top 10 opponent since 2021 after knocking out Jelena Ostapenko in a second-round thriller. Kerber backed that up with another Top 20 upset, beating Veronika Kudermetova to reach the fourth round. Kerber makes a significant move up the rankings, 265 places in fact, from No.607 to No.342.

Naomi Osaka reached the third round of Indian Wells. The four-time major champion is up 58 places from No.297 to No.229.

Other notable rankings movements

Elisabetta Cocciaretto (+9, from No.60 to No.51): The Italian did not drop a set in Charleston last week en route to her third WTA 125 title. 

Yulia Putintseva (+11, from No.79 to No.68): Putintseva scored back-to-back Top 20 wins, over Ekaterina Alexandrova and Madison Keys, to reach the fourth round of Indian Wells for the first time.

Hailey Baptiste (+9, from No.105 to No.96): Back in 2019, Baptiste made waves as a 17-year-old wild card in Washington when she notched a Top 20 upset against Keys in her main-draw debut. Baptiste entered the Top 200 in June of 2021, but had fallen to No.280 last April. Baptiste has been on the rebound since. The 22-year-old reached the second round of Indian Wells as a qualifier, taking her 2024 record to 20-8 and ensuring her Top 100 debut.

Suzan Lamens (+39, from No.195 to No.156): The 24-year-old Dutchwoman won her biggest ITF title to date as a qualifier at the Trnava W75 two weeks ago. Lamens hits a new career high as result.

Linda Klimovicova (+42, from No.339 to No.297): Ranked No.552 five months ago, the 19-year-old Czech has been surging recently. Since October, Klimovicova's record is 26-5. She collected her third ITF W35 title in that timeframe two weeks ago in Solarino and enters the Top 300 for the first time. 

Ena Shibahara (+65, from No.448 to No.383): The former doubles No.4 is making a push in singles this year. Shibahara lifted her first pro singles title at the Spring ITF W35 three weeks ago, taking her singles record this year to 18-3. The 26-year-old Japanese player enters the Top 400 for the first time.

Tereza Valentova (+162, from No.557 to No.395): Last year's junior runner-up at the US Open has enjoyed a phenomenal start to 2024. The 17-year-old Czech is unbeaten at pro level this year. She collected her third ITF title, and biggest to date, at the Ricany W75 last week, defeating Daria Snigur in the final. Valentova improves to a perfect 14-0 in 2024 and enters the Top 400 for the first time.

Iva Jovic (+90, from No.659 to No.569), Tyra Caterina Grant (+92, from No.791 to No.699): The two 16-year-old Americans, who won the Australian Open girls' doubles title together in January, have both hit new career highs.

Jovic has played only seven pro events and has reached the final in three of them. The latest of those was at the Spring ITF W35 three weeks ago, where she was runner-up to Shibahara. She followed that up by making her WTA qualifying debut as a wild card in Indian Wells, falling to Taylor Townsend in the first round.

Meanwhile, Grant claimed her first pro title in only her sixth event, winning the Antalya ITF W15 tournament two weeks ago.

Aravane Rezai (+151, from No.964 to No.813): The Frenchwoman, who reached her career high of No.15 back in 2010, has not played a full season since 2012, and her last tour-level match came at Roland Garros 11 years ago. Since then, Rezai has played occasional ITF events with little impact. But two weeks ago, the 37-year-old made the semifinals as a qualifier at the Solarino ITF W35 -- the first time she had made the last four of a tournament at any level since winning the 2012 Contrexéville ITF W50. She rises to her highest ranking since May 2014.