ATP Rankings update: Carlos Alcaraz regains World No. 2 after Jannik Sinner battle in Beijing; Arthur Fils and Ugo Humbert move up after Tokyo heroics
The Asian swing of the ATP calendar is in its last leg, and the events have seen some movement in the rankings. Players have been competing hard to secure the last available points in the season to qualify for the ATP finals or end the year with an improved ranking.
Carlos Alcaraz moved from No. 3 to No. 2 on the rankings with his fourth title of the year at the China Open. The young Spaniard defeated Jannik Sinner in an epic final in Beijing, winning 6-7(6), 6-4, 7-6(3). This win helped the Spanish player earn 320 points, taking his overall tally to 7010, and replace Alexander Zverev as the World No. 2.
Despite the final loss, Sinner remains the World No. 1 with a healthy lead of 4000 points over Alcaraz. The Italian maintains the top spot with 11,010 points.
The French pair Arthur Fils and Ugo Humbert contested the final in Tokyo at the Japan Open. Fils won the battle 5-7, 7-6(6), 6-3, having saved championship points in the second set tiebreaker against his opponent. The second title win of the season helped the Frenchman earn 475 points and moved him three spots up the rankings to No. 21.
Humbert secured 275 points for his final run in Tokyo, taking his overall tally to 2645 points. This helped him move four spots up the rankings to No. 15.
One of the major movers of last week was Yunchaokete Bu. The Chinese player made waves on the ATP circuit in the last few weeks by reaching the semi-final of the Hangzhou Open. He backed it up with another semi-final at the Japan Open, beating the likes of Lorenzo Musetti and Andrey Rublev, eventually losing to Jannik Sinner in the semi-final 3-6, 6-7(3). This run earned him 196 points, moving him 27 spots up in the rankings to a career-high position of World No. 69.
More changes are expected in the ATP Rankings following the Shanghai Masters
The Shanghai Masters will potentially see more changes in the ATP rankings. Hubert Hurkacz, who was the defining champion, has forfeited his 1000 points as the Pole has not entered the event this year. This will lead to him moving out of the top 10, dropping him from No. 8 to No. 12 on the rankings. As a result, Alex de Minaur will re-enter the top 10 once again, moving up from No. 11 to No. 9.
Andrey Rublev's second-round loss in Shanghai saw the Russian lose 590 points. The sixth seed lost to Jakub Mensik 7-6(7), 6-4, 6-3. He remains on the 6th spot for now, but a deep run from No. 7 Taylor Fritz in Shanghai could potentially displace him.
Other players like Stefanos Tsitsipas and Tommy Paul are on the cusp of breaking into the Top 10 and might do so if they make it into the later rounds in Shanghai.