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There were two WTA Tour events last week, although one got all the attention because of its sterling field, and the other pretty much went under the radar.

The biggest one, the 500 in Stuttgart, had terrific matches, featured the return of Bianca Andreescu and was won by No. 1 Iga Swiatek – extending all of her impressive streaks (matches, tournaments) this spring.

ATP Rankings Report – As of April 25, 2022

Russian qualifier Anastasia Potapova, the same week she found out she’ll be shut out of the grass court season in the wake of the decisions by Wimbledon and the LTA to make a statement to Russia and Belarus on the atrocities being committed in Ukraine, went all the way in Istanbul.

It is the first career title for Potapova.

For the full WTA Tour rankings picture, click here.

ON THE UPSWING

Paula Badosa (ESP): No. 3 =========> No. 2 (A career high for Badosa, who reached the semifinals in Stuttgart and lost to Aryna Sabalenka).

Emma Raducanu (GBR): No. 12 =========> No. 11 (A career high for the 2021 US Open champion, who won two matches in Stuttgart in the first WTA-level clay-court tournament of her young career. She probably wouldn’t moved up, but Jelena Ostapenko withdrew from the event – as she did from BJK Cup against Canada – reportedly because of wrist issues. Ostapenko drops 25 points, and the opportunity earn more as Raducanu slips by her by 17 points).

Leylah Fernandez (CAN): No. 21 =========> No. 20 (Idle Fernandez nudges back into the top 20 after Simona Halep drops a lot of points from Stuttgart last year).

Daria Kasatkina: No. 26 =========> No. 23 (A second round effort in Stuttgart pays off).

Veronika Kudermetova: No. 29 =========> No. 25 (Kudermetova moves up four after reaching the Istanbul final).

Liudmila Samsonova: No. 31 =========> No. 26 (A new career high for the 23-year-old Russian, after reaching the Stuttgart semis).

Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS): No. 41=========> No. 38 (An under-the-radar tie of her career best for Tomljanovic, who made the Istanbul quarterfinals. As mentioned in our post about Genie Bouchard’s comeback from shoulder surgery, the Aussie is one of the rare ones to actually make it back – and even better).

Yulia Putintseva (KAZ): No. 51 =========> No. 44 (Putintseva back in the top 50 with a semifinal effort in Istanbul).

*Potapova wins her first career title out of the qualifying (Photo: Istanbul Open)*

Anastasia Potapova: No. 122 =========> No. 78 (There was plenty of hype about Potapova as a junior, which got her the Nike deal and all the rest. But she backslid from an early career high of No. 64. She gets 44 spots back after going from the qualifying to the title in Istanbul – her first career WTA title).

Bianca Andreescu (CAN): No. 121 =========> No. 111 (A first-round win in Stuttgart helps Andreescu move up 10 spots in the rankings, in terms of her “actual” ranking. Her protected ranking, which she’ll use in Madrid, is No. 22. She’s already there getting ready).

Julia Grabher (AUT): No. 194 =========> No. 155 (The 25-year-old Austrian moves up to a career high after qualifying and reaching the quarterfinals in Stuttgart).

Taylor Townsend (USA): No. 903 =========> No. 739 (New mama Townsend wasn’t off the tour long enough to completely lose her ranking. But she got nearly 200 spots back back by making the quarters at the Charlottesville ITF last week. She’s got a protected ranking she can use as she plots her comeback).

*Diana Schnaider at the Eddie Herr last November*

Diana Shnaider: No. 687=========> No. 471 (Shnaider, an 18-year-old Russian lefty, wins ITFs in Oeiras and Shymkent that both appear on her record this week. She’s one of the top juniors who will be shut out of Wimbledon this year, in her final year of eligibility).

Mirra Andreeva: No. 996 =========> No. 847 (Still a few months shy of her 15th birthday, the young Russian wins an ITF in Antalya Turkey and moves up nealry 150 spots to a career high).

ON THE DOWNSWING

Barbora Krejcikova: No. 2 =========> No. 3 (Krejcikova has been MIA for a few months now – since losing in the third round of Doha in February. And her regular doubles partner, Katerina Siniakova, is playing doubles in Madrid with Leylah Fernandez. She has a title defence in Paris coming up. So all of this is less than ideal).

Angelique Kerber (GER): No. 17 =========> No. 19 (Kerber lost a three-setter to Anett Kontaveit, unseeded in Stuttgart n the opening round. She also lost a pair of three-setters in BJK Cup the previous week).

Sorana Cirstea (ROU): No. 24 =========> No. 27 (The defending Istanbul champ made the semis, but it wasn’t enough to avoid a drop of three spots).

Elise Mertens (BEL): No. 23 =========> No. 28 (Mertens had some struggles in Istanbul. She was bumped off the schedule twice because of rain, and ended up retiring in the second set of her first-round match against Rebecca Peterson, after making the final a year ago. She also has a quarterfinals in Madrid coming up to defend).

Elina Svitolina (UKR): No. 25 =========> No. 29 (Svitolina is taking a break, as war tears apart her native land. She hasn’t played since losing her opening matches in both Indian Wells and Miami. She drops semifinalists points from Stuttgart in 2021).

Ekaterina Alexandrova: No. 39 =========> No. 45

Katerina Siniakova (CZE): No. 46 =========> No. 51

Marta Kostyuk (UKR): No. 52 =========> No. 60 (Kostyuk didn’t play last week, dropping her 80 points from Istanbul in 2021. But she’ll be back in Madrid).

*(A kinder, gentler, less terrifying time for Ukrainians Yastremska and Kostyuk at the Australian Open in January)*

Fiona Ferro (FRA): No. 128 =========> No. 146 (Ferro, 25, was out from the Australian Open until she returned at smaller events a few weeks ago. She drops quarterfinal points from Istanbul a year ago. A little over a year ago she reached her career high of No. 39)

Anna-Lena Friedsam (GER): No. 184=========> No. 249 (Friedsam, who has been as high as No. 45 in the world, has been beset by injuries in her career and drops points from her through qualifying to the second round at Stuttgart last year. All that while losing in the first round of an ITF in Chiasso, Switzerlandn to a wild card ranked No. 584).