In the absence of the WTA elite, Belinda Bencic made the biggest leap in the ranking. With her win in Dubai, the Swiss rider improved from 98th place to 74th place.
In line with the snowy Christmas season, the WTA World Ranking List is also frozen – but only within the Top 40. Belinda Bencic knows these spheres, in 2016 the 20-year-old was already listed as a seventh in the world rankings. This was followed by two complicated years with numerous injuries and the crash to place 308.
The U-turn has long since been achieved: three ITF titles in series catapulted the Swiss hopeful back into the Top 75 – and the trend is rising!
Doping sinner Sara Errani also improved her score in Dubai. The 30-year-old Italian, in whose urine traces of letrozole were found in February, reached the semi-finals in the Persian Gulf. It is, however, uncertain whether the current number 133 in the world will still be allowed to serve on the tour in the future.
In November, the Italian Anti-Doping Public Prosecutor’s Office had demanded a two-year suspension for Errani at the court of the tennis world association ITF. According to Italian media reports, a verdict is expected before Christmas.