Rankings Watch: Paolini makes Top 5 debut; Krejcikova up 22 spots

On Saturday, Barbora Krejcikova ascended into the ranks of multiple Grand Slam champions by defeating Jasmine Paolini to capture her first Wimbledon singles title.

The title run continued Krejcikova's trend of thriving as the underdog. Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of her two major crowns is she has won both while ranked outside the Top 30. At Roland Garros three years ago, she was ranked No.33 and unseeded. Last week, she was ranked No.32 and seeded No.31. It should also be noted that Krejcikova won her only WTA 1000 title, at Dubai 2023, while unseeded and ranked No.30.

Krejcikova, who reached her career high of No.2 in March 2022, started 2024 at No.10, but had slumped out of the Top 30 with a series of injury and illness. She was sidelined for two months between February and April and lost the first four matches of her return. Her season record coming into Wimbledon was just 7-9. But Krejcikova's best form has a habit of clicking suddenly. Her second Slam title has given her a 22-spot boost in this week's PIF WTA Rankings, where she is now back at No.10.

Meanwhile, Paolini's spectacular season continued as the Italian became the first player since Serena Williams in 2016 to reach the Roland Garros and Wimbledon finals back-to-back. After starting this season at No.30, Paolini makes her Top 5 debut this week with a two-place rise from No.7 to No.5.

Routliffe ascends to doubles World No.1

Last August, Erin Routliffe was ranked No.60. She had never won a title above WTA 250 level and had only one career Grand Slam quarterfinal showing. Then, she teamed up with Gabriela Dabrowski -- and since then, the pair have been formidable.

Erin Routliffe captures WTA World No.1 doubles ranking presented by PIF

In only their fourth tournament together, Routliffe and Dabrowski won the US Open. They've since backed that up with titles in Zhengzhou and Nottingham, as well as three WTA 1000 finals in Guadalajara, Miami and Rome. Last week, they reached their second Grand Slam final together, falling to only Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend in two tiebreaks.

Routliffe rises two places from No.3 to No.1, becoming the first New Zealander in the history of the WTA rankings to hold the top spot in either discipline.

Sun debuts, Raducanu returns to Top 100

Two players enter the Top 100 this week after memorable second-week showings at Wimbledon. In another milestone for New Zealand, Lulu Sun became the first woman representing the country to reach the quarterfinals at SW19 -- and she did it as a qualifier playing only her sixth tour-level main draw. 

Amid the seemingly interminable rain of the first week, Sun shined again and again. She saved a match point against Gabriela Knutson in the second round of qualifying, notched a first career Top 10 win, over Zheng Qinwen, in the first round and took out home hope Emma Raducanu in the fourth. The 23-year-old Sun makes her Top 100 debut, rocketing up 70 places from No.123 to No.53.

Raducanu can also count the grass season as a success after skipping Roland Garros to focus on it. The former US Open champion made the second week of a major for the third time at Wimbledon. After started her home swing ranked No.209, she rises another 41 places from No.135 to No.94 this week. Raducanu is back in the Top 100 for the first time since April 2023.

Deep Wimbledon runs boost Vekic, Navarro and more

Donna Vekic's devastation was apparent after her tight Wimbledon semifinal loss to Paolini, but the Croatian's first appearance in the last four of a major has sent her ranking soaring back up. Vekic climbs 16 places from No.37 to No.21, two spots off the career high of No.19 she set in November 2019.

Emma Navarro notched her first Top 10 win on the Grand Slam stage, and third overall, upsetting Coco Gauff to make her major quarterfinal debut. Navarro moves up two places to a new career high at No.15. Meanwhile, former Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko returned to the Wimbledon quarterfinals after a six-year absence and jumps three places to No.11.

Yulia Putintseva stunned No.1 seed Iga Swiatek to reach the Wimbledon fourth round, her second career defeat of a World No.1. Putintseva returns to the Top 30 for the first time since April 2021, climbing six from No.35 to No.29. Wang Xinyu also dealt out a significant upset by beating Jessica Pegula for her first career Top 10 on the way to the fourth round of Wimbledon. Wang, a 22-year-old Chinese player, also rises six places from No.42 to No.36.

Elsewhere, former No.2 Paula Badosa had the most encouraging Grand Slam result since returning from a back injury at the start of this year. She reached the fourth round of Wimbledon for the third time and jumps 28 places from No.93 to No.65. And in the final season of her career, Danielle Collins reached the fourth round of Wimbledon for the first time. Collins returns to the Top 10, moving two places to No.9.

Other notable rankings movements

Zhu Lin (+11, No.61 to No.50): Zhu reached the third round of Wimbledon for the first time and returns to the Top 50 for the first time since January.

Katie Volynets (+12, No.69 to No.57): The American qualified and reached the second round of Wimbledon, where she took eventual champion Krejcikova to two tiebreaks. Volynets is up to a new career high.

Lucia Bronzetti (+11, No.81 to No.70): Bronzetti's tour-level record was just 9-15 after her first-round loss at Wimbledon. But dropping down to WTA 125 level paid dividends with a title run in Contrexéville last week.

Caroline Wozniacki (+15, No.91 to No.76): The former World No.1 made the third round of Wimbledon for the first time since 2019 via an upset of Leylah Fernandez.

Martina Trevisan (+12, No.89 to No.77): Like her Italian compatriot Bronzetti, Trevisan had struggled at the tour level in 2024, compiling a 3-13 record in main draws through Wimbledon. But the former No.18 also posted a WTA 125 title run last week, lifting the trophy in Bastad.

Harriet Dart (+16, No.100 to No.84): The Briton reached the third round of Wimbledon for the second time and returns to the career high she originally set in July 2022.

Anca Todoni (+24, No.142 to No.118): The 19-year-old Romanian qualified for her first Grand Slam main draw at Wimbledon and reached the second round to hit a new career high.

Yuliia Starodubtseva (+30, No.153 to No.123): Having qualified for her first two Grand Slam main draws at the Australian Open and Roland Garros, Starodubtseva continued her unbeaten record in Grand Slam qualifying by doing the same on her Wimbledon debut. This time, the 24-year-old Ukrainian won a round in the main draw for the first time and jumps to a new career high.

Robin Montgomery (+23, No.161 to No.138): Another player qualifying and making the second round of a major for the first time was 19-year-old American Montgomery, who also hits a new career high this week.

Gao Xinyu (+23, No.187 to No.164): The Chinese 26-year-old reached No.181 back in July 2017, but then spent most of the next seven years outside the Top 200, falling to No.797 in 2022. But after winning three ITF titles this year, she set a new career high of No.180 at the start of June. Gao has already bettered it after reaching her first WTA 125 semifinal as a lucky loser in Contrexéville last week.

Varvara Lepchenko (+17, No.204 to No.187): The 38-year-old American returns to the Top 200 for the first time since May 2022 after reaching the second round of Wimbledon qualifying, followed by a final run at the Rome ITF W35 and a quarterfinal showing at the Rome ITF W75 last week.

Sonay Kartal (+105, No.298 to No.193): Kartal originally cracked the Top 200 in January 2023, but health issues set her back at the start of this year. A qualifying wild card at Wimbledon, the Briton went all the way to the third round of the main draw and soars back up to a new career high.

Gabriela Knutson (+37, No.232 to No.195): As Lulu Sun carved her way into the Wimbledon quarterfinals, one wondered what Knutson -- who had held a match point on Sun in the second round of qualifying -- was thinking. It turned out that she had her own success in mind, immediately bouncing back to win the Corroios ITF W50 title last week.

Maja Chwalinska (+40, No.241 to No.201): The 22-year-old Pole has been beset by injuries in recent years but won her first title since 2022 at the Montpellier ITF W75 two weeks ago to return to her highest ranking since January 2023.

Oksana Selekhmeteva (+160, from No.415 to No.255): Former Top 10 junior Selekhmeteva was sidelined for the last seven months of 2023 with a shoulder injury, and her ranking plummeted out of the Top 900 in February. But she reached the second round of Wimbledon qualifying three weeks ago, followed it by reaching the Montpellier ITF W75 final, then won the Rome ITF W75 last week for her first title in over two years.

Gina Feistel (+167, No.488 to No.321): The 21-year-old Pole compiled an 11-match winning streak over the past three weeks, winning the Klosters ITF W35 title and then reaching the final of The Hague ITF W75 as a qualifier, where she fell to Arantxa Rus in three sets in her first meeting with a Top 100 player. Feistel reaches a new career high.

Hannah Klugman (+97, No.625 to No.528): Klugman, 15, reached the final round of Wimbledon qualifying with wins over fellow teenagers Petra Marcinko and Linda Fruhvirtova. The Briton is the highest-ranked player born in 2009.

Zarina Diyas (+264, No.966 to No.702): Former No.31 Diyas returned to action in May following a two-year injury hiatus. Playing the fourth event of her comeback in Wimbledon qualifying, she defeated Mananchaya Sawangkaew and Sachia Vickery to reach the final round.