Serena Williams continues to climb rankings in return; Coco Gauff leaps 172 spots after Wimbledon debut
Cori “Coco” Gauff’s world ranking is cut in half after her thrilling run to the fourth round at Wimbledon and fellow American Serena Williams took another step forward in her best ranking since leaving the tour last season.
Wimbledon champion Simona Halep also moved up in Monday’s post-Grand Slam rankings with her dominating baseline handiwork in a title victory over Williams.
Gauff gallops to No. 141
Gauff came into Wimbledon ranked No. 313 and took the biggest leap of the rankings by moving 172 spots into No. 141. It’s the highest career ranking for the 15-year-old, who was the youngest player to qualify for Wimbledon in the Open Era, was the youngest to win a match and the youngest to reach the second week in 28 years.
She entered Wimbledon on a wild-card entry in qualifying and made it to the fourth round at the All England Club. Gauff first knocked off idol Venus Williams in the first round and continued to take down the competition with a solid win over former semifinalist Magdalena Rybarikova and a thrilling comeback battle against Polona Hercog in the third round.
Gauff lost to eventual champion Halep in the fourth round. Her team would like to see her compete at the U.S. Open in August but overall the world won’t see as much of the rising star due to WTA age restrictions.
Serena continues rise after time away
Serena Williams finished runner-up in another Grand Slam this weekend, missing out on a fourth opportunity to tie Margaret Court’s record 24 Grand Slam titles as Halep played the match of her life.
With every second-place finish, the 37-year-old former No. 1 is making her way back up the rankings. She moved one spot to No. 9, her best since returning to the tour after giving birth to daughter Olympia in 2017. Her last Grand Slam title was that year’s Australia Open, which she won while pregnant.
Williams is the early favorite to win the U.S. Open.
Halep’s title moves her back to top five
Halep added another Grand Slam title and moved three spots to No. 4, breaking back into the top five after a short stint away. She’s been out of the top five spots for only 13 weeks total in the past five years, per WTA. The 27-year-old won 36 of her final 47 games at the All England Club, capped by a stunning straight-sets performance against Williams in the final to become the first Romanian to win Wimbledon.
She is the 10th active player to have at least two Grand Slam titles.
Notable WTA ranking changes post-Wimbledon
British No. 1 Johanna Konta faced tough questions after bowing out in the quarterfinals — she told a reporter he was “patronizing” and “dismissive” — but the result moved her three spots to No. 15. It’s her highest ranking since March 2018.
Barbora Strycova upset Konta to reach her first Grand Slam semifinal and tested Williams in that round. She won the doubles title with Hsieh Su-Wei, becoming the new doubles No. 1 duo. Her singles rating went up 22 spots to No. 32.
American Alison Riske, another formidable Williams opponent at the All England Club, also rose double-digits from No. 55 to No. 37. She knocked out No. 1 Ashleigh Barty, who held that WTA ranking, in the fourth round and reached her first Grand Slam quarterfinal.
Men’s rankings: Big 3 hold spots
The top seven spots in the ATP Tour rankings remain the same, with Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic holding his No. 1 spot after an epic final.
Rafael Nadal is No. 2 and runner-up Roger Federer is No. 3. Nadal lost to Federer in the semifinals.
American Sam Querrey jumped 26 spots to No. 39 and semifinalist Roberto Bautista Agut, who garnered attention during the broadcast for his bachelor party joining him at Wimbledon, moved up nine spots to No. 13.
More from Yahoo Sports:
