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Another WTA 1000 in the books, with a surprise final between qualifier Caroline Garcia and unseeded Petra Kvitova in Cincinnati.

It puts Garcia in a position to be seeded at the US Open. Given just a couple of months ago she was ranked No. 75, that is a crazy-good effort.

And in Vancouver, players banked some points at the WTA 125 tournament, won by qualifier Valentini Grammatikopoulou.

So it seems to be a trend this week.

ATP Rankings Report – As of Aug. 22, 2022

(For the complete, updated WTA Tour rankings, click here).

ON THE UPSWING

Aryna Sabalenka: No. 7========> No. 6 (Sabalenka moves up a spot with her semifinal effort in Cincinnati. But also because Simona Halep withdrew after her first-round win).

Emma Raducanu (GBR): No. 13 =======> No. 11 (A couple of wins against former Grand Slam champions in Cincinnati, a couple of spots up the rankings board and a top-12 seed that might serve her well in New York).

Caroline Garcia (FRA): No. 35 ========> No. 18 (Garcia cut her ranking in half with her run from the qualifying to the title in Cincinnati. She cut it into a quarter from where it was just two months ago. It’s her first return to the top 20 since April, 2019).

Madison Keys (USA): No. 24 ========> No. 20 (Keys, too, had a great week and returns to the top 20 for the first time since last year. On Jan. 10, she was ranked No. 87).

Petra Kvitova (CZE): No. 28 ========> No. 21 (An invigorating run for the 32-year-old veteran, one that will give her a better spot in the seedings in New York).

Zhang Shuai (CHN): No. 44 ========> No. 35 (Zhang had a great week in Cincy, starting with a straight-sets win over Naomi Osaka. Can she squeeze in as a seed? Going to be tight).

Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS): No. 63========> No. 48 (A good week from the qualifying for the Aussie, who is back in the top 50).

Lucia Bronzetti (ITA): No. 66========> No. 59 (A career high for the Italian – age unknown per the WTA website – after making the final of the Vancouver 125).

Anna Kalinskaya: No. 69 ========> No. 60 (The 23-year-old doesn’t exactly give off ambitions, drive vibes. But she has gradually risen in the rankings and stands at a career high after qualifying and reaching the second round in Cincinnati – where she retired in the second set vs. Aryna Sabalenka).

Kamilla Rakhimova: No. 108 ========> No. 90 (The 20-year-old Russian moves into the top 200 and a career high after winning the USTGA $60K in the Bronx, NY. She defeated Mirjam Bjorklund in the final).

Valentini Grammatikopoulou (GRE): No. 239 ========> No. 143 (At 25, Grammatikopoulou is no kid. But she leaps nearly 100 spots to a career high, after going from the qualifying to the title at the WTA 125 in Vancouver. Nice week of work for the 5-4 player, who gives up a lot of vertical every time she steps out on the court).

Emma Navarro (USA): No. 167 ========> No. 145 (It’s been going well for Navarro since she decided to forego university this year and go full-time pro. She made the semis in Vancouver (playing four three-set matches and coming back from a set down in the first three, only to fall short against Grammatikopoulou. As well, her father Ben Navarro and his investors have just acquired the Cincinnati tournament. So good week for the Navarro family).

Taylor Townsend (USA): No. 222 ========> No. 198 (The way she’s going, Townsend isn’t going to need her protected ranking for long. Another leap and back into the top 200. She’s directly into the US Open with her protected ranking).

Brenda Fruhvirtova (CZE): No. 318 ========> No. 271 (The 15-year-old, who is 27-5 this year in singles, won her second consecutive $25K on clay in Europe last week, over Mona Barthel in the final. She’s moved up 120 spots with those two titles).

ON THE DOWNSWING

Karolina Pliskova (CZE): No. 17 ========> No. 22 (Pliskova, whose ranking stayed fairly stable even though she missed time in 2022 and hasn’t had a great return, is out of the top 20 for the first time since Feb. 16, 2015. She made the semis in Cincinnati a year ago, when she was ranked No. 4. This year she went out to Elise Mertens in the second round. She also has a quarterfinal to defend at the US Open).

Barbora Krejcikova (CZE): No. 19 ========> No. 23 (Krejcikova also is out of the top 20, and took a wild card into the small Cleveland event this week).

Victoria Azarenka: No. 22 ========> No. 26 (Azarenka was routed by Emma Raducanu in the second round in Cincinnati).

Jil Teichmann (SUI): No. 21 ========> No. 30 (Teichmann was a surprise finalist in Cincinnati last year. This year, she drew Petra Kvitova in the first round and while you’ve have given her a good shot to win, it turned out to be a vintage week for the Czech, who saved match points in that one and went all the way to the final).

Naomi Osaka (JPN): No. 39 ========> No. 44 (Osaka is out of the top 40 after her early exit in Cincinnati. What form she will arrive in at the US Open, is the open question).

Angelique Kerber (GER): No. 32========> No. 52 (Kerber is out of the top 50 for the first time in eons, after skipping Montreal and Cincinnati. She is set for the US Open, as far as we know. But will be short of matches as she hasn’t played since losing to Elise Mertens in the third round of Wimbledon. It has been nearly 11 years since Kerber was outside the top 50).

Clara Tauson (DEN): No. 47========> No. 58 (Tauson has been injured and hasn’t played much, resulting in a drop in her ranking).

Karolina Muchova (CZE): No. 161 ========> No. 235 (Her protected ranking is No. 22. But Muchova’s return from injury has been a bumpy road so far).