Naomi Osaka desperately needed some wins, and she got a at the 2024 Qatar Open, which will improve her standing in the WTA Rankings by a lot.
The Japanese player started well outside of the Top 100 a few weeks ago when she made her comeback at the Brisbane International. The results up until this week haven't been that good, so Osaka didn't really improve her ranking all that much.
She did go from 883rd to 744th, but in the grand scheme of things, that's really not a major move. The ranking is important for her because sooner rather than later, she'll have to rely on that to enter events, and the way it's been going so far, she would have to rely on using protected ranking or getting wild cards, which isn't ideal.
That's what makes this week's run in Doha so crucial. Not only was she able to pick up a few wins, which matter for confidence, but she also got to improve her ranking quite a bit. On Monday, Osaka will jump 461 spots in the new rankings, landing at number 286.
That's a pretty significant and important jump, but it's still not where Osaka wants to be. It does get her closer to her goal, which could be in striking distance in the coming weeks.
Osaka earned 215 points this week, and if she does the same at any of the upcoming WTA 1000 tournament, she'll get to around 470 points in total, which would put her around the 150th mark on the WTA Rankings.
That's not far from the Top 100, and considering that the Sunshine Double is coming up, Osaka could certainly find herself back in the Top 100 after those events.
That would be a pretty solid comeback for the Japanese player, who will then look to stabilise on the rankings further during the clay season.
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