Aryna Sabalenka was the last woman standing at the 2024 Cincinnati Open women's tournament and celebrated her coronation with a return to the World No. 2 ranking.
The Belarusian powerhouse completed one of the most dominant title wins in WTA 1000 history, defeating World No. 1 Iga Swiatek and World No. 6 Jessica Pegula for the ultimate crown. She did not drop a set during the entire tournament.
Sabalenka was guaranteed a return to the top two if she outperformed Coco Gauff in Cincinnati. And she did just that as the young American stumbled in the second hurdle.
The 26-year-old has built a solid points total of 8060 before the US Open but still trails rankings leader Swiatek, who has amassed 10695 points. Of the top three, it is Gauff who defends the most points at the final Grand Slam of the season.
Additionally, the 20-year-old can face one of Swiatek or Sabalenka before the final at her home major. Elena Rybakina stayed in fourth place after a short-lived stay in Cincinnati (lost in the second round).
Pegula needed to win the title to return to the top five but fell just short of completing the rare Canada-Cincinnati double. Therefore, the experienced American will remain in sixth place.
There are three more changes in the WTA's Top 10. Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova rises to 8th at the expense of Maria Sakkari. Danielle Collins (11th) meanwhile exits the elite band and gives way for Jelena Ostapenko (10th).
Marta Kostyuk re-enters the Top 20 (19th), while Mirra Andreeva, who made the quarterfinal in Cincinnati, rises to a new career high of No. 21. She will be seeded in a Grand slam for the second time.
Former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova (22nd) exits the Top 20. She hasn't played since surrendering her title at the All England Club in July and has already withdrawn from the upcoming US Open.
Paula Badosa (27th) has rejoined the Top 30 after a highly productive hard-court swing in North America. The Spaniard won her first WTA title in two years in Washington and was a semifinalist at last week's Cincinnati Open.
Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva climbs three places to 31st. She's beaten the world's top two in each of her last two tournaments. Her reward is a seeding spot at the 2024 US Open.
New Armenian national Elina Avanesyan (51st) reached the second round of the Cincinnati Open as a lucky loser and is now on the verge of a Top 50 breakthrough. She'll break that barrier if she goes deep in Monterrey this week.
Karolina Muchova left the Top 50 after a second-round defeat in Cincinnati. The injury-prone Czech dropped to 52nd and faces a tough draw in New York, where she will be unseeded and defend semifinal points.
Ashlyn Kruger appears to attain a new career-high ranking with each passing week. She had a great run in Cincinnati right from qualifying, where she defeated four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka and then upset Olympics silver medalist Donna Vekic in the main draw.
The 20-year-old from Texas rises four places to 61st in the latest rankings and is just behind her doubles partner Sloane Stephens (60th). The Cincinnati Open wasn't the only women's tennis tournament that was played this past week.
Nadia Podoroska won the WTA 125K in Barranquilla and shot up 21 spots to 67th. Spain's Nuria Parrizas Diaz won her second W100 ITF tournament this month to rejoin the Top 100.
Caroline Wozniacki's first-round win in Cincinnati helped her climb 14 spots to 70th. Be sure to stay updated with all the rankings changes after the Cincinnati Open by visiting our WTA Rankings page.
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