WTA Rankings update: Paula Badosa re-enters top 40 after Citi Open win, Emma Raducanu rises further
On Monday, August 5, the WTA rankings did not see any massive movement as far as the Top 20 are concerned. Most players were at the Paris Olympics 2024, where there were no implications on points and rankings.
However, the WTA did have the 2024 Citi Open last week, which led to a few changes in the rankings. The most significant gainer was former World No. 2 Paula Badosa, who won her fourth career singles title in Washington by defeating Marie Bouzkova in the final. The Spaniard added 500 points to her tally and jumped 22 places from 62nd to 40th.
The Citi Open runner-up, Bouzkova, also moved seven places up on the rankings, from 43rd to 36th, as she earned 312 points for reaching the final. She took out the top seed, Aryna Sabalenka, in the semi-finals.
Emma Raducanu continued to rise through the ranks by reaching the quarter-finals of the Citi Open. The young Brit added 107 points to her tally, which saw her jump 20 places from 89th to 69th.
However, a few players also dropped points by skipping the Citi Open. The most notable of them was Coco Gauff, who was the defending champion in Washington but chose to play at the Olympics. Gauff dropped 470 points but maintained her position in second. However last year's Citi Open runner-up Maria Sakkari dropped 304 points due to Olympics participation, dropping from eighth to ninth on the rankings.
With several top players out, Paula Badosa, Coco Gauff, and Aryna Sabalenka can earn more points at the Canadian Open 2024
To rest properly, and due to injuries, several top players (seven of the top 10) have withdrawn from the 2024 Canadian Open. This includes World No. 1 Iga Swiatek. These withdrawals have opened up the draw for other players to take advantage. Paula Badosa, who is steadily rising in the rankings once again, can ride the wave of her form and make a deep run in Montreal to further improve her ranking.
The top two seeds in the WTA 1000 event — Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka — will look to capitalize on Swiatek's absence and solidify their rankings. Owing to Gauff's dropping of points, the difference between her and Sablenka is less than 500 points on the rankings. If the Belarusian wins the title, she will reduce the gap further. If Gauff exits early, Sabalenka might also have a chance to topple her in the rankings.
Swiatek might drop approximately 350 points due to her withdrawal, but the difference between her and her close competitors is so much that the Pole will still be in the top spot with a difference of almost 3000 points.