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Only one tournament in the whole WTA Tour ecosystem last week meant that the vast majority of the pros were left scrambling for places to play.

Above the $25K ITF level, the only other option was a $60K indoors in Germany.

And that left a lot of quality players either idle, or playing wayyyyy, way down the food chain.

But for those who were able to play Dubai, a WTA 500 this year, there were some moves made.

Notably, for Jelena Ostapenko, the champion.

But also for one player who didn’t play Dubai at all, and another who lost in the first round.

ATP Rankings Report – as of Feb. 21, 2022

If the men are hurting with the 2021 Australian Open points dropping off this week, some of the women are also in a bit of rankings pain as the points from Dubai 2021 (which was a 1000) and Dubai 2020 (a 500) drop with these new rankings.

For the complete, updated WTA rankings picture, click here.

ON THE UPSWING

Paula Badosa (ESP): No. 5 =========> No. 4 (Even though she lost in the first round in Doha, Badosa moves up one to a career high, just because the injured Karolina Pliskova couldn’t play and also drops her 2021 Australian Open third-round points).

Maria Sakkari (GRE): No. 8 =========> No. 6 (Sakkari moves up two to a career-best No. 6, even though she withdrew from Dubai after making the St. Petersburg final. I mean, nice work if you can get it. But she had a shot at No. 5 if she posted a good result. That said, she has a shot at it anyway, because Pliskova also will miss Doha).

Jelena Ostapenko (LAT): No. 21 =========> No. 13 (The 24-year-old Latvian is back in the top 15 after a super run to the Dubai title, where she defeated fellow former Grand Slam champions in the first four rounds. She’s back in action in singles AND doubles Monday in Doha).

Petra Kvitova (CZE): No. 25 =========> No. 21 (Kvitova’s quarterfinal effort in Dubai brings her to within 100 points of getting back into the top 20).

Veronika Kudermetova (RUS): No. 31 =========> No. 25 (Kudermetova lost to Ostapenko in the Dubai singles final, but got her revenge, of a sort, in winning the doubles. It’s a career high for her. She’s also at a career high in doubles, at No. 9).

Varvara Gracheva (RUS): No. 80 =========> No. 72 (The 21-year-old Russian hits a career high after qualifying and winning a round in Dubai).

Greet Minnen (BEL): No. 91 =========> No. 79 (Minnen is playing higher-level ITFs these days when she can, and it paid off as she won the $60K in Altenkirchen, Germany last week).

*It’s an up week for Yastremska (right) but a down week for friend Marta Kostyuk (left)*.

Dayana Yastremska (UKR): No. 146=========> No. 120 (Yastremska, who travelled to Australia last year but didn’t play as her appeals of a drug suspension later voided were unsuccessful, makes a move after qualifying in Dubai and reaching the quarterfinals. Still only 21, her career high is … No. 21).

Rebecca Marino (CAN): No. 161 =========> No. 153 (Marino made a semi and a final at the $25Ks in Cancun the last two weeks).

Mirjam Bjorklund (SWE): No. 188 =========> No. 183 (Denis Shapovalov’s much better half made the semifinals of an ITF in Porto. Portugal to rise to another career high).

Asia Muhammad (USA): No. 234 =========> No. 199 (The American jumps back into the top 200 as she’s down in Australia playing the ITF circuit there, and has won back-to-back $25Ks).

Brenda Fruhvirtova (CZE): No. 611 =========> No. 435 (The 14-year-old – yes, 14 – sees the points come on from an ITF victory in Argentina. As well, She has qualified for the WTA 250 in Guadalajara this week, beating Sara Errani en route. She’s coming, even though she’s still a child).

Sonay Kartal (GBR): No. 823 =========> No. 532 (You might have seen this 20-year-old in that cute video of nine-year-old Emma Raducanu playing kids’ tennis. Not blessed with the same kind of support, she’s made a move herself the last two weeks, winning ITFs in Birmingham and Glasgow to leap to a new career high).

📺 @EmmaRaducanu Tennis Archive 📺

Enjoy this epic rally between Emma & Sonay Kartal aged 9⃣ at the National Tennis Centre in 2011#ThrowbackThurdsay pic.twitter.com/dyMRvc1C1V
— LTA (@the_LTA) September 30, 2021

ON THE DOWNSWING

Garbine Muguruza (ESP): No. 7 =========> No. 9 (Muguruza won a round in Doha. But she drops a whack of points from winning Dubai last year).

Elena Rybakina (KAZ): No. 16 =========> No. 20 (Rybakina, who has either given a walkover of retired in the second round of her last three tournaments, skipped Doha entirely. She drops her last year’s Dubai points, where she lost to Simona Halep in a third-set tiebreak in the final, but really doesn’t have much to defend until Roland Garros).

Coco Gauff (USA): No. 20 =========> No. 23 (The ranking is hanging in there. The game isn’t in great shape).

Jil Teichmann (SUI): No. 35 =========> No. 41 (Teichmann qualified and made the quarters in Dubai last week. But she ends up net-minus after dropping her semifinal points from the 2021 event).

Marta Kostyuk (UKR): No. 49 =========> No. 54 (Kostyuk drops out of the top 50 after dropping the points she earned a year ago in winning a $60K ITF in Egypt).

Petra Martic (CRO): No. 61 =========> No. 86 (Ouch for Martic, who drops the points from reaching the semifinals of Dubai – in 2020).

Anastasia Potapova (RUS): No. 86 =========> No. 111 (The Russian drops out of the top 100 after her points from a quarterfinal effort at 2021 Dubai fall off).

Jennifer Brady (USA): No. 107 =========> No. 145 (Brady, still on the shelf, was on Tennis Channel commentating last week. Her points from a semi in Dubai in 2020 fall).

Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS): No. 136 =========> No. 177 (No, we don’t know what’s up with her, either. She hasn’t played since last year’s Wimbledon, and her third-round points from last year in Dubal fall).