Top five players with most positions gained inside-top 50 in WTA singles rankings in 2023

Published at :January 3, 2024 at 2:52 PM

Modified at :January 13, 2024 at 11:19 AM

(Courtesy : atxopen.com/hips.hearstapps.com)

Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina tops the list.

The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) singles rankings is a dynamic system that reflects players’ performance throughout the year. The WTA 2023 has seen unexpected upsets and thrilling comebacks. While some players have maintained their top positions, others have made significant strides up the rankings.

One of the most impressive stories of the year is Elina Svitolina, the Ukrainian sensation who returned to the tour after a maternity break in 2022. Svitolina, who started the season ranked 240th, jumped 215 places and climbed to 23rd spot in the singles rankings. She announced her comeback in style, winning a WTA Tour title and reaching the last eight at the French Open and the last four at Wimbledon, where she stunned world no. 1 Iga Świątek.

Two other players who have made significant progress in the rankings are Sofia Kenin and Peyton Stearns, who both reached career-highs in 2023. Kenin, the 2021 Australian Open champion, bounced back from a slump in 2022 and gained 194 positions, moving from 227th to 33rd spot. Stearns, a rising star from the USA, improved her ranking by 161, going from 210th to 49th spot.

In this article, we will take a look at the list of the five players with the most positions gained in WTA singles rankings in 2023.

Emma Navarro (+117)

Navarro, a 22-year-old American tennis player, has had a breakthrough season in 2023, rising from 149th to 32nd spot in the WTA singles rankings. She achieved her career-high ranking on November 20, 2023, after a series of impressive results.

The American made her Grand Slam debut at the French Open as a wildcard, where she defeated lucky loser Erika Andreeva to reach the second round. She then reached her first WTA Tour level semi-final at the Bad Homburg Open as an alternate, beating Alizé Cornet and Rebeka Masarova by retirement.

She continued her ascent in the rankings with a first-round appearance at the US Open and another semi-final at the San Diego Open, where she reached the top 50 for the first time.

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Karolína Muchová (+143)

Karolína Muchová has been one of the most consistent and successful players on the WTA Tour in 2023, reaching a career-high ranking of world No. 8 on September 11, 2023. The Czech star has made it to four WTA finals, including her first Grand Slam final at the French Open, where she lost to Iga Świątek.

Muchová’s remarkable run continued at the Cincinnati Open, where she reached her first WTA 1000 final, beating 12th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia, Petra Martić, eighth seed Maria Sakkari, Marie Bouzková, and second seed Aryna Sabalenka en route. She fell short in the final against sixth seed Coco Gauff in straight sets.

At the US Open, Muchová proved her Grand Slam credentials once again, advancing to the semifinals for the first time in her career. She breezed through her first three matches, dropping no sets against Storm Hunter, Magdalena Fręch, and Taylor Townsend, before overcoming Wang Xinyu in a three-set thriller in the fourth round.

At the start of the season, Karolína was ranked No. 151. Due to impressive performances throughout the year she managed to climb to no. 8 spit by the end of the season.

Peyton Stearns (+161)

Peyton Stearns has had a remarkable rise in the WTA rankings in 2023, going from 210 at the start of the season to 49. The 22-year-old American, who turned pro in 2022 after playing for the University of Texas at Austin, has achieved several milestones in her inaugural pro season.

She made her first WTA final at the Copa Colsanitas, where she beat Rosa Vicens Mas, Elina Avanesyan, 2021 French Open semifinalist Tamara Zidanšek, and Kamilla Rakhimova. At the French Open, she was ranked 69th and scored her first top-50 win, upsetting No. 49 Kateřina Siniaková.

Furthermore, Stearns reached the fourth round of the US Open, where she beat Viktoriya Tomova, Clara Tauson, and Katie Boulter. This result helped her break into the top-50 for the first time.

Sofia Kenin (+194)

American tennis player Sofia Kenin has had an impressive year in 2023. Kenin started her season at the Auckland Open, beating Wang Xinyu in the first round before losing to top seed and eventual champion Coco Gauff. The 25-year-old began the year ranked No. 227, but climbed back into the top-50.

Sofia’s best result came at the Guadalajara Open where she reached her first WTA 1000 quarterfinals since 2019, defeating sixth seed Jelena Ostapenko. Next, she defeated Leylah Fernandez to reach the semi-final, only her third in her career at a WTA 1000 level.

Elina Svitolina (+215)

Elina Svitolina’s meteoric rise in the rankings has been one of the most captivating stories in tennis this year. The 23-year-old Ukrainian began the year ranked no. 240, but she quickly climbed rankings with a series of impressive results.

Svitolina’s breakout performance came at Wimbledon, where she defeated the world No. 1, Iga Świątek, to make her second Wimbledon semifinals. She became the third player in the Open Era to defeat four former major champions in a single Grand Slam tournament after Serena Williams at the US Open and Justine Henin at Roland Garros. As a result, she returned to the top 30 rising close to 50 positions up in the rankings.

Prior to this, Svitolina reached the fourth round at the French Open against 26th. She defeated the ninth seed Daria Kasatkina, with a score of 6-4, 7-6 and booked a spot in the quarterfinals for the ninth time in her career, her fourth at the French Open, and her first at a major since the US Open.

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