WTA RANKINGS WINNERS AND LOSERS MADRID: ARYNA SABALENKA REMAINS NO 2, MADISON KEYS +4, PAULA BADOSA -25

This was a Madrid Open to remember.

Iga Swiatek claimed her first title at the tournament after triumphing in a classic final over reigning champion Aryna Sabalenka, though this was a tournament full of thrills and spills.

And, with big points at stake, that means there will be some notable rankings implications come Monday.

Here are the WTA winners and losers from the opening WTA 1000 event of the clay season.

WTA Top 10 before Madrid

1) Iga Swiatek – 10,560

2) Aryna Sabalenka – 7,848

3) Coco Gauff – 7,258

4) Elena Rybakina – 6,293

5) Jessica Pegula – 4,870

6) Maria Sakkari – 4,195

7) Marketa Vondrousova – 4,090

8) Zheng Qinwen – 4,000

9) Ons Jabeur – 3,533

10) Jelena Ostapenko – 3,438

Swiatek’s position as world No 1 was guaranteed no matter what happened in Madrid, with the Pole’s cushion at the top of the rankings close to 3,000 points heading in.

The battle was on behind her though, with Sabalenka needing to reach at least the final to stop Gauff reaching a new career high of No 2; if they had contested the final, it would have been a straight showdown for the top spot.

However, with Gauff only reaching the fourth round, Sabalenka’s run to the final was enough to hold onto the No 2 ranking and puts her in the driving seat to be the second seed at the French Open.

But she has lost ground to Swiatek, with the Pole snatching full points for her maiden victory in the Spanish capital.

Elsewhere in the top 10, Maria Sakkari will drop two spots after failing to defend her 2023 semi-finalist points, allowing Marketa Vondrousova and Zheng Qinwen to move above her.

Sakkari and Ons Jabeur look set to battle it out in Rome to be a top eight seed at Roland Garros, with the Tunisian closing the gap thanks to her quarter-final run.

Read More: Aryna Sabalenka weighs in on being part of a ‘Big 3’ with Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina

WTA Top 10 post-Madrid

1) Iga Swiatek – 10.910

2) Aryna Sabalenka – 7,498

3) Coco Gauff – 7,313

4) Elena Rybakina – 6,673

5) Jessica Pegula – 4,655

6) Marketa Vondrousova – 4,090

7) Zheng Qinwen – 3,945

8) Maria Sakkari – 3,925

9) Ons Jabeur – 3,748

10) Jelena Ostapenko – 3,493

Big Winners

The biggest mover in the top 20 is US star Madison Keys, who kickstarted her season with a run to the last four in the Spanish capital.

Keys will jump four spots to world No 16 on Monday, giving her daylight in the race to be part of the US Olympic team this summer.

Elsewhere, surprise quarter-finalist Yulia Putintseva is set to rise nine places up to world No 41, while Sara Sorribes Tormo will move eight spots to 47th after reaching the fourth round on home clay.

Surprise package Maria Carle will jump 11 spots to a new career-high ranking of 71st, and Czech young gun Sara Bejlek leaps 23 places to a new high of 113th.

Read More: Madison Keys’ Madrid Open run provides big rankings boost in US Olympic battle

Big Losers

The biggest faller in the top 30 is Veronika Kudermetova, who reached the semi-final 12 months ago – but lost in round two this year.

Kudermetova will drop six spots to world No 25 and faces further pressure with further last four points to defend at the Italian Open next week.

Further down the rankings, Petra Martic will fall a staggering 19 spots to world No 81, after being forced to withdraw from Madrid.

Martina Trevisan will drop 11 spots to sit at world No 87 come Monday, with Kayla Day set to be world No 95 after also falling 11 places.

And there’s further disappointment for Paula Badosa, with the Spaniard slipping 25 places to world No 126 after losing in round one.

Read More: ‘Scared’ Paula Badosa may only play ‘three, four more years’ due to injury nightmare as she sets rankings target

2024-05-04T21:11:16Z dg43tfdfdgfd