.
Normally, a Masters 1000 leads to some nice leaps in the rankings. Or at least quite a few changes.
But with the special system for rankings during the pandemic, it doesn’t change a whole lot.
Daniil Medvedev’s victory allows him to jump over Roger Federer and into the No. 4 spot. But the fact remains that Federer remains No. 5 in the rankings after having played just one tournament this season – the Australian Open.
On the plus side, Canadian Milos Raonic jumps three spots, and Stan Wawrinka moves up two.
ON THE UPSWING
Daniil Medvedev (RUS): No. 5 ===========> No. 4 (The Russian wins in Paris and gains some momentum heading into the ATP Tour Finals).
Milos Raonic (CAN): No. 17 ===========> No. 14 (A solid semifinal effort at the Paris Masters to close out his season on a good note).
Stan Wawinka (SUI): No. 20 ===========> No. 18
Ugo Humbert (FRA): No. 34 ===========> No. 30 (The 22-year-old lefty came of age during the indoor season, and can look for a seeded spot in Melbourne as he hits a new career high).
Marin Cilic (CRO): No. 43 ===========> No. 41 (He’s not having much of a 2020, but he’s been playing better and could be a spoiler early in 2021. He’s the No. 8 seed in Sofia this week).
Richard Gasquet (FRA): No. 56 ===========> No. 49 (Back in the top 50 after winning a round in Paris; he beat Taylor Fritz in three sets to put one in the win column for the first time in four tournaments. In fairness, he ran into Roberto Bautista Agut at Roland Garros, Medvedev in St. Petersburg and eventual finalist Alex de Minaur in Antwerp. And he went three sets with all of them).
Jordan Thompson (AUS): No. 61 ===========> No. 51 (A nice jump with a third-round effort in Paris; he’s eight away from his career high).
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (ESP): No. 63 ===========> No. 52 (The 21-year-old Spaniard finds himself four points out of the top 50 and at a career high. He was at No. 71 before making the semis in Cologne 1, the quarters in Cologne 2 and then qualifying and reaching the third round in Paris. He upset Karen Khachanov in the first round there).
Marcos Giron (USA): No. 91 ===========> No. 72 (Another career high for the 27-year-old, after qualifying in Paris and beating Ramos Viñolas and Berrettini before losing to Raonic. He’s had a great indoor season).
Kevin Anderson (RSA): No. 86 ===========> No. 79 (He retired in Vienna, and he retired in Paris, too. And he pulled out of Sofia. But Anderson’s ranking is slowly getting back to where it should be; he finally jumps back into the top 100 this week).
Norbert Gombos (SVK): No. 105 ===========> No. 88 (A nice late-season leap for the 30-year-old Slovenian that will keep him out of the qualifying jungle in Melbourne. He qualified and got to the third round in Paris, defeating four qualify opponents including David Goffin).
Sebastian Korda (USA): No. 136 ===========> No. 116 (Still a ways from the top 100, but the 20-year-old has come back well since the shutdown and is at another career high after winning the Eckental Challenger. Before qualifying and reaching the fourth round at Roland Garros, he was ranked No. 213. So that’s 100 spots in a month, at an especially tough time to make points).
ON THE DOWNSWING
Roger Federer (SUI): No. 4 ===========> No. 5 (He might not be a top-four seed at the Australian Open with this drop. But he’ll still be a top-eight seed – . and highly overranked given how long he’s been out).
Sam Querrey (USA): No. 50 ===========> No. 53 (Querrey is safely home in California after his less-than-excellent COVID adventure in Russia).
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA): No. 58 ===========> No. 61 He has played just two matches this year – both in January – and lost both. But the rules mean that Tsonga’s ranking is holding somewhat. We’ll see if he can return strong in 2021).
CANADIAN RANKINGS
Watch out for 21-year-old Alexis Galarneau, a national-centre training mate and good friend of Félix Auger-Aliassime who went the college route.
The pandemic crushed plans to play as a fifth-year senior at North Carolina State (as he finished his degree), and then make a move up the rankings in this summer.
But in his first tournament since the end of February, Galarneau upset the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds to win the singles title at the $15K ITF tournament in Fayetteville, Arkansas this week.
Galarneau has a wild card into the singles at the Challenger in Cary, NC this week.
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