Naomi Osaka, winner of the Australian Open, has jumped to the top of women’s tennis with her beaten opponent Petra Kvitova rising to second in Monday’s WTA rankings.
Novak Djokovic, meanwhile, strengthened his grip at the top of the men’s ATP tennis ranking following his destruction of Rafael Nadal in the final.
Osaka climbed three places after beating the Czech in Melbourne on Saturday. Kvitova moved up four places.
The 21-year-old Japanese player has only won three career titles, but those include the last two majors, after she won the US Open in September.
Romanian former number one Simona Halep, knocked out by Serena Williams in the round of 16 in Melbourne, fell two spots to third. Dane Caroline Wozniacki, whose defence of her Australian Open title ended in the third round, fell six places to ninth.
The biggest rise of the week was by the 25-year-old American Danielle Collins who leaped 12 places to 23rd after her run to the semi-finals.
Williams, who fell to 491 after her maternity break last year, continued her rise, gaining five places to 11th.
Top-5 in tennis
| MEN | WOMEN |
|---|---|
| Novak Djokovic (10,955 points) | Naomi Osaka (7,030 points) |
| Rafael Nadal (8,320 points) | Petra Kvitova (6,290 points) |
| Alexander Zverev (6,475 points) | Simona Halep (5,582 points) |
| Juan Martin del Potro (5,060 points) | Sloane Stephens (5,307 points) |
| Kevin Anderson (4,845 points) | Karolina Pliskova (5,100 points) |
An outclassed Nadal, beaten in straight sets in just over two hours, held on to second spot in the men’s rankings while Roger Federer slipped from third to six place.
Federer, the defending champion, was eliminated in the round of 16 by Greek giant-killer Stefanos Tsitsipas
Alexander Zverev replaces Federer in third position ahead of Juan Martin Del Potro, fourth, who missed the Australian Open.
Despite his early elimination in Melbourne, South African Kevin Anderson, a Wimbledon finalist last year, moved up a spot into fifth.
Japan’s Kei Nishikori, meanwhile, rises two places to seventh after reaching the quarter-finals in Melbourne.
Tsitsipas, eliminated by Nadal in the semi-finals, jumped three places and is knocking on the door of the top 10 in 12th place.
