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There were … no WTA Tour events to be had last week, the first week after the end of the Australian Open.

And there is only one this week – the 500-level tournament in St. Petersburg.

So ranking changes towards the top of the charts have a lot to do with old points dropping off.

Meanwhile, lower down, some players were able to earn points in places like Rome, Georgia, at a $60K ITF.

ATP Rankings Report – as of Feb. 7, 2022

Karolina Pliskova, Paula Badosa (to a career best No. 5), Garbiñe Muguruza and Maria Sakkari all move up one because of Iga Swiatek’s drop from No. 4 to No. 8.

For the full WTA rankings picture, click here.

ON THE UPSWING

Angelique Kerber (GER): No. 20 =========> No. 18 (Gauff’s rankings timing is Kerber’s win, as she moves up two spots without doing a single thing).

Leylah Fernandez (CAN): No. 21 =========> No. 19 (The Canadian’s first career break into the top 20 came after doing … nothing, as Coco Gauff’s loss is her gain. But the way the season has started for her, she’ll take it. Fernandez is planning to play only once before Indian Wells, in Monterrey where she won her first title last year).

Alycia Parks (USA): No. 199 =========> No. 175 (The 21-year-old American, who seems to be getting more support or late, got down to Australia for her first AO qualifying, and reached the Rome ITF final on Sunday to get to another career high).

Emma Navarro (USA): No. 231 =========> No. 210 (Off at university, Navarro reached the semis in Rome, Georgia in her first tournament of 2022. A year ago, she was ranked No. 469).

Tatjana Maria (GER): No. 311=========> No. 235 (The mother of two wins Rome – no, not the Italian Open, but the $60K ITF in Rome, Georgia. A year ago, she was at No. 109. But the 34-year-old played just one match between the pandemic stoppage in March 2020 and her return in Sept. 2021 – with a second daughter in tow).

Sofia Samavati (DEN): No. 760 =========> No. 517 (The 17-year-old, who played just about full-time on the ITF circuit last year as a 16-year-old, went from the qualifying to the title at last week’s $25K ITF in the U.K. That’s a huge jump).

ON THE DOWNSWING

Iga Swiatek (POL): No. 4 =========> No. 8 (Swiatek drops 470 points which appear to be the ones she earned by winning the Adelaide tournament – which a year ago came the week after the Austraian Open. But the third week of the season. So technically it’s been less than a year since she earned them, although the tournament itself was held in January this year. If that makes sense).

Danielle Collins (USA): No. 10 =========> No. 11 (The Australian Open finalist’s stay in the top 10 lasted only a week, with Ons Jabeur slipping by her by 100 points. But you’d have to think she’ll back soon enough).

Coco Gauff (USA): No. 17 =========> No. 20 (Same situation as with Swiatek, as Gauff qualified and made the semifinals at that Adelaide tournament in Feb. 2021).

Belinda Bencic (SUI): No. 19 =========> No. 24 (Bencic, the No. 5 seed in St. Petersburg this week, loses her points from an Adelaide final in 2021).

Jil Teichmann (SUI): No. 31 =========> No. 35

Anhelina Kalinina (UKR): No. 48 =========> No. 53

Petra Martic (CRO): No. 62 =========> No. 70 (Martic has lost in the first round of six of her last eight tournaments, going back to the Canadian event last August. She has a Rome semifinal coming up to defend in the spring, as well).

Anastasija Sevastova (LAT): No. 65 =========> No. 79 (No. 11 just three years ago, the 31-year-old drops because of 2021 Adelaide, and a tough draw in the first round of the Australian Open where she lost to Magda Linette. She has a quarterfinal in Miami coming up to defend, as well).

Maddison Inglis (AUS): No. 115 =========> No. 129 (Back to reality after her shock win over Leylah Fernandez in the first round of the Australian Open, which she followed up with another win before falling to Kaia Kanepi. Her points from a good Adelaide in 2021 fall off).

Wang Qiang (CHN): No. 126 =========> No. 134 (The Chinese player missed a lot of time in 2021, so if her level at the Australian Open keeps up she should be able to get back into the top 100 in no time).