WTA World Ranking: Serena advances, Pliskova catches up
After the tournaments in Auckland, Shenzhen and Brisbane, there were only a few shifts in the WTA world rankings.
by tennisnet.com
last edit: Jan 13, 2020, 11:12 am
Ashleigh Barty will be number one in the first Grand Slam tournament of the year. That was certain, however, before the Australian's departure against Jennifer Brady in Brisbane. Karolina Pliskova , who won her third title there, moved a little closer to Barty in the current WTA world rankings, but is still slightly more than 1,600 points behind last year's French Open winner.
Defending champion in Melbourne will be Naomi Osaka . The Japanese overtook Simona Halep with her semi-finals in Brisbane and is now in third place.
Serena Williams won her first tournament in Auckland since 2017, making her an important place on the charts. After Bianca Andreescu's cancellation, Serena will now start as number eight at the Australian Open - avoiding the top seeders until the quarter-finals. Or the other way around.
Angelique Kerber is number 18 in Germany, Julia Görges follows in position 38. Austria's best player, Barbara Haas, is number 147 in the world.