Coco Gauff had an amazing week at the 2024 ASB Classic in Auckland but the American player will still drop in the rankings despite that.
Quite a few things actually happened, which made this a possibility and then a reality for Gauff. She won the WTA 250 event in Auckland last year, which meant that she couldn't really win any more points this year, even if she did the same thing.
By winning again, Gauff basically just defended the points won last year, and she didn't even do that, she lost some. Before this season, there were some changes to the WTA events and the number of points they handed out.
For example, the WTA 500 events are no longer giving out 470 points to the winner but rather the full 500, as it is on the ATP side of tennis. The WTA 250 events used to give out 280 points until last year, and this year the amount got back down to 250.
For Gauff, that means that she actually lost 30 points this week by winning the event because last year, she got 280 points for it, and this year, she was rewarded with only 250.
It's a pretty bizarre occurrence, but it's possible because of the changes that were made before the year began. Combined with Elena Rybakina's triumph in Brisbane, it means that the Kazakstahni player will overtake Gauff in the newest WTA Rankings.
Rybakina earned over 500 points thanks to winning Brisbane, and that was more than enough to overtake the 19-year-old. The 2022 Wimbledon champion will now have 6811 points, while Gauff will be at 6660.
It's just an interesting situation because, generally, players go up in the rankings when they win an event. Rarely do they drop like Gauff, but that was largely out of her control.
Rybakina won a bigger event and jumped ahead. There was not much the American could have done there, but she also lost points, and that almost never happens when a player defends their title.
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