Moscow-Born Gracheva Becomes France's Number Two Following Naturalisation

| by Alex Waite

Varvara Gracheva has officially become France's number two player in the WTA Rankings after she recently became a French citizen.

Gracheva previously represented Russia in women's professional tennis but she has lived in France since 2016. Earlier in 2023, the 22-year-old officially applied for French naturalisation and it was recently revealed that the stages of her application were close to being finalised.

After receiving her French passport, Gracheva's representation in the official WTA rankings has changed from Russian to French. In addition, the 22-year-old will be France's number two player in the women's rankings, behind Caroline Garcia, who is currently placed fifth in the WTA standings.

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Moreover, Gracheva marked her first official match as a French player with a straight-sets victory over Romanian Jacqueline Cristian at the 2023 Bad Homburg Open. The 22-year-old will now progress to face Sara Errani in the round of 16 at the competition.

Earlier in the 2023 season, whilst she was still representing Russia in WTA competitions, Gracheva reached a career-high of 41st in the rankings. The French player reached her career-best rank after reaching the ATX Open final before losing against Marta Kostyuk and heading to the last 16 at Indian Wells and Miami.

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However, Gracheva's recent form has dipped slightly, which has seen her drop down the standings to 43rd. The 22-year-old struggled on clay as she was eliminated in the first round at both the Italian Open and the Madrid Open before departing at the second round during the 2023 Roland Garros.

For now, it appears that Gracheva will remain as France's number two to Garcia unless the former Russian player can find some sensational form later in the 2023 season. Recently, Garcia has stepped up her preparation for Wimbledon 2023 on grass as she reached the quarter-final stages at the German Open before eventually losing to Petra Kvitova.

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