WTA rankings update: Ashleigh Barty begins 118th week as World No. 1 but Indian Wells, Miami withdrawal leaves door ajar for rivals
Ashleigh Barty began her 118th week at the top of the WTA rankings on Monday. The Aussie moved ahead of Belgium's Justine Henin in seventh position on the list for most weeks at World No. 1 in women's tennis history.
Three-time Grand Slam champion Barty has remained at No. 1 for 111 consecutive weeks, currently the fifth-longest streak in the history of the WTA rankings. Only Steffi Graf (186 weeks), Serena Williams (186 weeks), Martina Navratilova (156 weeks) and Chris Evert (113 weeks) have been ranked No. 1 in the world for a longer consecutive stretch.
However, Barty's decision to withdraw from the 'Sunshine Double' - the Indian Wells and Miami events - could give her rivals a chance to close the gap in the WTA rankings. The 25-year-old, who leads second-ranked Barbora Krejcikova by just over 2,900 ranking points, won the Miami Open last year and her withdrawal means she will drop 1,000 points off her tally.
With the top players all taking a week's rest before the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells kicks off on Wednesday, there has been little change in this week's top 10.
The WTA rankings for the week of March 7, 2022 is as follows:
- Ashleigh Barty
- Barbora Krejcikova
- Aryna Sabalenka
- Iga Swiatek
- Anett Kontaveit
- Maria Sakkari (+1)
- Paula Badosa (-1)
- Karolina Pliskova
- Garbine Muguruza
- Ons Jabeur
Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska closes in on top 100 in WTA rankings after reaching Lyon final
Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska, who made the headlines after leaving her home country due to a Russian invasion and fighting her way to the final in Lyon, jumped 37 spots to No. 103 in this week's rankings. The 21-year-old, who peaked at No. 21 in the WTA rankings in January 2020, received a wildcard for this week's BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
China's Zhang Shuai climbed 23 spots to No. 41 after winning the third singles title of her career in Lyon.
Canada's Leylah Fernandez, who successfully defended her title at Monterrey, stayed put at No. 21 while Camila Osorio, the Monterrey finalist, moved up nine spots to a new career-high of No. 35.
The Williams sisters, who have combined to win 30 Grand Slam singles titles and 14 in women's doubles, remain outside the top 200 in the rankings. Younger sister Serena is at No. 236 this week, while Venus is ranked No. 470 in the world.