Rankings Watch: Ostapenko back in Top 20, Danilovic breaks new ground

The Hologic WTA Tour's European red-clay swing kicked off last week, with Jelena Ostapenko capturing her ninth career title at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix WTA 500 in Stuttgart and Elina Svitolina collecting her 18th trophy at the Open Rouen Capfinances Métropole WTA 250 event.

Ostapenko started 2025 at No. 17 in the PIF WTA Rankings, but fell to No. 37 in February after losing four of her first five matches of the season. The Latvian rebounded by making the Doha final and continued her bounce-back in Stuttgart. Ostapenko's title run included wins over both World No. 2 Iga Swiatek (for the sixth time in six meetings) and World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka (for the first time in four meetings). It was Ostapenko's second clay-court trophy -- and first since she won Roland Garros in 2017 for her very first title.

She returns her to the Top 20 this week, up six places to No. 18.

Remarkably, this year Ostapenko now has an unbeaten record against players ranked inside the Top 10 (4-0), but a losing record against players ranked outside it (8-9).

For Svitolina, the Rouen title was the second of her return from maternity leave, both of which have come on French clay (following Strasbourg 2023). The Ukrainian, who now boasts an 18-4 record in finals, moves up one place to No. 17.

Rouen finalist Danilovic hits new career high

Olga Danilovic first cracked the Top 100 in September 2018 at the age of 17, two months after winning the Moscow River Cup on her WTA main-draw debut. The Serbian spent five weeks there before falling out again -- and it would take her another five years to return.

But the past 12 months have been the most consistent of Danilovic's career, and this time she's kept her momentum going to charge even further up the rankings. The 24-year-old has made the fourth round of her first two Slams (Roland Garros last year and the Australian Open in January), captured her second title in Guangzhou last October and made her fourth career tour-level final last week in Rouen.

That run extended Danilovic's winning streak to nine matches (including the Antalya 1 WTA 125 title earlier this month) before she fell to Svitolina in a hard-fought final. She's up five places to a new career high of No. 34 this week.

Navarro back into Top 10, Rybakina out

Three weeks after falling out of the Top 10 for the first time since her debut last September, Emma Navarro is back. The American climbs one spot to No. 10 after reaching the second round in Stuttgart.

Navarro swaps places with Elena Rybakina, who did not defend her 2024 Stuttgart title and falls one place to No. 11. The former Wimbledon champion is out of the Top 10 for the first time since January 2023.

Seidel, Rakotomanga Rajaonah make moves on home soil

Two 2005-born players delivered notable results at home last week. In Stuttgart, 20-year-old German Ella Seidel entered as a lucky loser, then battled to a three-set, come-from-behind win over tricky veteran compatriot Tatjana Maria to make the second round. Seidel, who has reached three WTA 250 quarterfinals in the past nine months, climbs 13 places to a new career high of No. 111.

Two weeks ago, Varvara Gracheva became the only French player in the Top 100. It was a 44-year low -- not since 1981 (Corinne Vanier) had the WTA Top 100 featured just a single Frenchwoman. In light of that, Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah's breakthrough run in Rouen offered some hope. The 19-year-old from France came through qualifying to make her WTA main-draw debut. She then notched her first two Top 100 wins over Lucia Bronzetti and Jaqueline Cristian to reach the quarterfinals before falling to Suzan Lamens.

Photos: All of 2025's WTA main-draw debuts

Rakotomanga Rajaonah, who was ranked No. 574 this time last year, leaps up 45 places from No 291 to a new career high of No. 245 this week. The next-highest ranked French teenager is 19-year-old Astrid Lew Yan Foon at No. 490.

Other notable rankings movements

Mayar Sherif, +11 to No. 50: Sherif needed a boost last week, which she entered with a meagre 2-8 season record. The Egyptian got it as top seed at the Madrid ITF W100, which she won without dropping a set. Sherif returns to the Top 50 for the first time since November 2023.

Katie Volynets, +10 to No. 70: The American reached her second career WTA 125 final last week in Oeiras.

Dalma Galfi, +28 to No. 121: The Oeiras WTA 125 champion was 26-year-old Hungarian Galfi, who collected the biggest title of her career at the Portuguese clay-court event. Galfi has won nine out her past 10 matches at WTA 125 level, having been runner-up at La Bisbal d'Empordà at the start of April.

Jana Fett, +24 to No. 129: Back in 2017, Fett won her first ever encounter with a Top 20 player over Kristina Mladenovic in Tokyo. Eight years later, the 28-year-old former No. 97 got a second Top 20 victory at last -- over Croatian compatriot Donna Vekic to reach the Stuttgart second round.

Jessika Ponchet, +11 to No. 135: Ponchet made it two Frenchwomen in the last eight of Rouen after reaching the first WTA quarterfinal of her career.

Iryna Shymanovich, +29 to No. 174: Shymanovich claimed her first ITF title since 2022 at last week's Zephyrhills W50 in Florida.

Tessah Andrianjafitrimo, +33 to No. 208: Last week was a good one for French players of Malagasy heritage. As well as Rakotomanga Rajaonah, the 26-year-old Andrianjafitrimo reached the Calvi ITF W75 final, and is back up to her highest ranking since July 2022.

Sofia Costoulas, +48 to No. 212: The Calvi ITF W75 title was taken by Belgian 20-year-old Costoulas, the 2022 Australian Open girls' finalist and a former junior No. 2. The biggest pro title of Costoulas' career to date pushes her to a new career high.

Julia Grabher, +56 to No. 238: Former No. 54 Grabher claimed her biggest title since returning from wrist surgery, winning last week's Koper ITF W75 as a qualifier (and defeating top seed Arantxa Rus in the semifinals for her first Top 100 win since 2023).

Camilla Rosatello, +37 to No. 251: The 29-year-old Italian qualified in Rouen, then upset Alycia Parks in the first round to notch her third career Top 100 win.

Caty McNally, +37 to No. 287: Exactly one year after falling out of the Top 300 as she was sidelined by elbow surgery, former No. 54 McNally is back inside it after reaching the Zephyrhills ITF W50 final.

Ekaterine Gorgodze, +60: The 33-year-old Georgian reached her first ITF W75 final since 2022 as a qualifier in Koper last week. Gorgodze reached her career high of No. 108 in May 2022.

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