5 active players with most wins over top-2 opponents ft. Petra Kvitova, Venus Williams & Serena Williams
Petra Kvitova's second-round triumph over World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka at the 2022 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships helped her secure a berth in the quarterfinals of a tournament for the first time this season.
The win was the Czech's 11th over a player ranked inside the top two of the WTA rankings. Only four other active players have more wins over top-two ranked opponents than the two-time Wimbledon champion.
Here's a look at the five active players with the most wins over opponents ranked inside the top two of the WTA rankings.
#5 Petra Kvitova (11 wins)
Petra Kvitova's win over Aryna Sabalenka was her first over a top-10 player in nearly two years. The last time the Czech beat a top-10 opponent was in the semifinals of the 2020 Qatar Open, where she overcame World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty.
Six of Kvitova's 11 wins over top-two opponents have been against World No. 1s. On four of the six occasions, she went on to win the tournament. This includes her victories against Caroline Wozniacki and Serena Williams en route to the 2011 WTA Tour Championships and the 2015 Madrid Open titles.
#4 Svetlana Kuznetsova (12 wins)
Svetlana Kuznetsova's last win over a player ranked inside the top two was back in 2009. The Russian has scored a total of 12 wins in the aforementioned category in her 22-year-long career.
Her most memorable triumph came at Roland Garros in 2009, when she beat Dinara Safina in the final to win her second Major.
#3 Kim Clijsters (12 wins)
Kim Clijsters made a habit of racking up wins over top players during her prime. She notched up six wins each against players ranked No. 1 and No. 2 over the course of her distinguished career.
The Belgian has some big scalps to her name, including Venus and Serena Williams, as well as Martina Hingis. Clijsters' last win over an opponent ranked inside the top two came back in 2012, when she beat Caroline Wozniacki at the Australian Open.
#2 Venus Williams (28 wins)
Venus Williams has notched up a whopping 28 wins over players ranked inside the top two. The American's first win against a top-two opponent came way back in 1998, when she stunned the then World No. 1 Martina Hingis in the second round of the Sydney International.
Williams has since gone on to register several such wins, including in the final of the 2005 Wimbledon Championships, where she defeated Lindsay Davenport.
#1 Serena Williams (47 wins)
In a league of her own. Serena Williams leads the pack with a whopping 47 wins over opponents ranked inside the top 2 of the world rankings.
Serena Williams has had periods where she has beaten the reigning World No. 1 multiple times on the trot; she beat Victoria Azarenka four straight times in 2012 and Martina Hingis on five successive occasions between 1999-2001.
The first of her 48 wins came against Lindsay Davenport in 1999 and her most recent was against Simona Halep last year.