Rankings Watch: Swiatek’s summer surge carries her back to No. 2

Just two months ago, Iga Swiatek had slipped to No. 8 in the PIF WTA Rankings. She hadn’t won a title or reached a final in more than a year. Her once-iron grip on the No. 1 ranking had passed to Aryna Sabalenka, and even her hold on Roland Garros had been broken.

Still just 24, Swiatek responded by claiming two titles for the first time in her career -- Wimbledon, her sixth major crown, and Cincinnati, her first hard-court WTA 1000 title since Indian Wells a year ago.

That No. 8 ranking already seems like a distant memory. Swiatek climbs back up one place this week to No. 2, just in time for US Open seedings -- displacing Coco Gauff to No. 3.

Paolini, Kudermetova, Krejcikova, Gracheva on the rise again

Jasmine Paolini, who was ranked No. 4 after winning her second WTA 1000 title in Rome this spring, had fallen to No. 9 before Cincinnati after her points from the 2024 Roland Garros and Wimbledon finals dropped off. More worryingly, she entered the tournament following back-to-back losses to players ranked outside the Top 50 -- Kamilla Rakhimova at Wimbledon and, from match point up, Aoi Ito in Montreal. But the Italian responded in style, upsetting Gauff along the way to her second WTA 1000 final of the year. She moves up one spot to No. 8.

Former World No. 9 Veronika Kudermetova had slumped down to No. 77 last November after compiling a negative 18-25 record in 2024. But the 28-year-old has steadily worked her way back up the rankings this year -- and in Cincinnati, her improved form paid off with a run to her third career WTA 1000 semifinal, and first since Rome 2023. Kudermetova's season record is already 33-20 (25-18 in WTA main draws), and she jumps 10 places this week to No. 26. It's the first time she's been ranked inside the Top 30 since May 2024.

Two-time major champion Barbora Krejcikova missed the first six months of 2025 with a back injury, and went into Cincinnati ranked No. 80 -- her lowest ranking since October 2020. But the Czech reached the last 16 after winning three matches in a single tournament for the first time since the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. She is back up 19 places to No. 61 this week.

Between September 2020 and June 2025, Varvara Gracheva spent all but three weeks inside the Top 100. But the Frenchwoman failed to win consecutive tour-level matches through the first half of this year, falling to No. 111 in June. A semifinal run in Eastbourne put the former No. 39 back on the right track, and last week she defeated Sofia Kenin and Karolina Muchova en route to the first WTA 1000 quarterfinal of her career in Cincinnati. Gracheva returns to the Top 100 with the largest numerical jump inside that echelon this week, climbing 20 places from No. 103 to No. 83.

Alexandrova, Jovic, Ito, Seidel reach new career highs

Ekaterina Alexandrova is quietly putting together one of her most consistent seasons to date. In 2025, the 30-year-old has won the Linz title, reached semifinals in Doha, Charleston and 's-Hertogenbosch and made the second week of both Roland Garros and Wimbledon. Last week, she added a run to the Cincinnati fourth round and climbs two places to a new career high of No. 14.

Iva Jovic's steady rise continued in Cincinnati. The 17-year-old American fell in qualifying to eventual quarterfinalist Gracheva, but entered the main draw as a lucky loser. Jovic proceeded to score her first career Top 30 win over Linda Noskova on her way to the third round, where she took Krejcikova to three sets. She rises 12 spots to No. 76 this week.

Aoi Ito has been a breakout player on the North American hard-court swing, with an unorthodox game and a relaxed demeanor. The Japanese 21-year-old qualified and made the third round in Montreal, then repeated the feat in Cincinnati via an upset of Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Ito rises another 12 places to No. 82.

Ella Seidel had never competed in a WTA 1000 main draw before qualifying for Cincinnati last week, and her only pair of tour-level quarterfinals had come at WTA 250 level (Budapest and Prague last year). But the 20-year-old German showed that her big-hitting game could stand up to the best as she notched her first career Top 20 win over Emma Navarro, then escaped McCartney Kessler from match point down to make the fourth round. Seidel soars 20 places to No. 105.

Other notable rankings movements

Sorana Cirstea, +26 to No. 112: The 35-year-old Romanian reached the fourth round of Cincinnati with wins over Donna Vekic, Magdalena Frech and Yuan Yue.

Clervie Ngounoue, +32 to No. 179: Ngounoue qualified for Cincinnati, then defeated Hailey Baptiste to notch her first career WTA main-draw victory. The 19-year-old American rises to a new career high.

Himeno Sakatsume, +26 to No. 201: Sakatsume, 24, won last week's Saskatoon ITF W50 event, defeating Anca Todoni in the final.

Teodora Kostovic, +56 to No. 265: Former junior No. 4 Kostovic captured her first ITF W75 title last week on home soil in Kursumlijska Banja. The 18-year-old Serb rockets to a new career high.

Kayla Day, +97 to No. 419: Former No. 84 Day was sidelined for six months between October 2024 and April 2025 with an ankle surgery. She picked up the first title of her comeback at the Southaven ITF W35 two weeks ago.

Hannah Klugman, +102 to No. 567: British 15-year-old Klugman, the current junior No. 3, reached her first professional final two weeks ago at the Roehampton ITF W35.

Alicia Dudeney, +323 to No. 701: University of Florida alumna Dudeney, 22, won her first professional title at the Roehampton ITF W35 two weeks ago, defeating Klugman in an all-British final. She soars to a new career high.

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