Iga Swiatek becomes 1st Polish tennis player ranked No. 1
Apr 3, 2022, 6:02 PM | Updated: Apr 4, 2022, 6:03 am
Iga Swiatek, right, of Poland, holds up her trophy after beating Naomi Osaka of Japan, left, 6-4, 6-0, during the women's singles finals of the Miami Open tennis tournament, Saturday, April 2, 2022, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
(AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Iga Swiatek moved up one spot to the top of the WTA rankings on Monday, becoming the first tennis player from Poland to be No. 1 in the sport.
The 20-year-old Swiatek — pronounced shvee-ON-tek — takes over from Ash Barty, who announced last month she would be retiring at the age of 25 after more than two years at No. 1.
Swiatek won the 2020 French Open and is currently on a 17-match winning streak that includes the title at the hard-court Miami Open, where she defeated Naomi Osaka 6-4, 6-0 in the final on Saturday. That followed Swiatek’s triumph at Indian Wells, California, last month, making her only the fourth woman to complete what’s known as the “Sunshine Double,” and another trophy in Doha, Qatar, in February, so she is the first woman to win the first three WTA 1000 events in a year.
“I felt like everything clicked this season,” Swiatek said in a video interview with The Associated Press.
She is the 28th woman to lead the rankings.
Osaka is a former No. 1 whose run to her first tour final in more than a year allowed her to go all the way from No. 77 to No. 35 on Monday.
Miami Open men’s champion Carlos Alcaraz, an 18-year-old Spaniard, jumped five spots to No. 11 in the ATP rankings, his highest showing so far.
The player he beat 7-5, 6-4 in the final Sunday, Casper Ruud, also got to his best ranking, rising one place to No. 7.
Novak Djokovic remained at No. 1 despite not having played at Indian Wells or Miami because he has not been vaccinated against COVID-19 and couldn’t travel to the United States.
Daniil Medvedev briefly held the top spot this year and could have returned there depending on his performance in Miami, but his quarterfinal loss meant he stayed at No. 2. He announced Saturday he would be sidelined for a month or two after having hernia surgery.
Reigning French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova rose two places to No. 2 in the WTA rankings, equaling her best. Paula Badosa moved up three spots to No. 3 to set a career high.
Australian Open runner-up Danielle Collins, an American who beat Swiatek in the semifinals at Melbourne Park, went from No. 11 to No. 8, her highest placing.
Jessica Pegula, who made it to the semifinals in Miami before losing to Swiatek, soared from No. 21 to No. 13, the best ranking of the American’s career.
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