Rybakina breaks into Top 10 of WTA Rankings as Sabalenka closes gap on Swiatek

One of the most important assets on the WTA Tour are ranking points that players collect, and there were plenty to collect at the 2023 Australian Open.

World no. 1, Iga Swiatek, was entering the first major of the season with a massive lead of around six thousand points over the second Ons Jabeur. The young Pole lost already in the fourth round, but of course, no one could take the no. 1 spot away from her.

However, there were plenty of changes behind her. Because of an early exit, Ons Jabeur lost her no. 2 spot to the 2023 Australian Open champion, Aryna Sabalenka. Moreover, the Belarusian leads the WTA Race by more than a thousand points over second Elena Rybakina, and she's in a pole position to become world no. 1 later this year, as she also closed the gap on Swiatek in the WTA Rankings to only 5300 points.

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One of the biggest moves was recorded by the runner-up, Elena Rybakina. The Kazakh jumped by 15 positions from 25th place all the way to the Top 10, a place where many argued she belonged already after her Wimbledon triumph.

Except for the two finalists, no other player moved by more than one place in the Top 10. Ons Jabeur, Jessica Pegula, and Caroline Garcia all dropped by one because of Sabalenka's rise. Coco Gauff swapped places with Maria Sakkari in no. 6 and no. 7. Daria Kasatkina remained eighth and Belinda Bencic rose from tenth to ninth.

Some significant moves were recorded by players that did well in Melbourne Park. Jelena Ostapenko moved by five places, from 17th to 12th. Victoria Azarenka jumped from 24th to 16th and Karolina Pliskova entered the Top 20 again after earning eleven positions from her previous 31st.

Magda Linette, who was a surprising semifinalist, moved from the 45th to 22nd place and Donna Vekic improved by stunning 31 positions as she rose to 33rd.

Some players experienced also move in the opposite direction. Last year's finalist, Danielle Collins dropped by 29 spots to no. 40. Alize Cornet lost 24 positions and dropped out of the Top 50 to world no. 58. You can check all the moves in the rankings on our dedicated WTA Rankings page.

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