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FLUSHING MEADOWS, NY – Most of the top players, with the notable exception of world No. 10 Daria Kasatkina, opted not to play a tournament the week before the US Open.

That’s often the case. But the decision to play Granby paid off for Kasatkina, who was in search of matches after going out early in Toronto and Cincinnati.

And she got them, winning the Granby title.

Along with the results in Cleveland, there are a number of moves in the rankings – although not at the very top of the game.

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

ON THE UPSWING

Daria Kasatkina (RUS): No. 10 ========> No. 9 (As a wild card, Kasatkina won in Granby and moved past Garbiñe Muguruza and into the No. 9 spot. It’s her second title of 2022, and the sixth of her career).

Aliaksandra Sasnovich (BLR): No. 36 ========> No. 32 (Sasnovich reached the final in Cleveland, outlasting the always game Alizé Cornet in the semifinals and not having much left for Liudmila Samsonova in the final. She’s still seeking her first tour title. But she’s just two off a career high reached almost exactly four years ago).

Liudmila Samsonova (RUS): No. 45 ========> No. 35 (Samsonova couldn’t play Toronto because she was busy winning the Citi Open in D.C., and so couldn’t make the qualifying. And she reportedly forgot to sign up for Cincinnati qualifying. So she played Cleveland to make a dent in her ranking and won the title without dropping a set. In fact, only one of the 10 sets she played went as far as 6-4. That’s titles in her last two tournaments, and a rise in the rankings from No. 60 to No. 35 this month).

Bernarda Pera (USA): No. 51 ========> No. 45 (Pera’s run to the semifinals gets her into the top 50 and a career high in the rankings).

Bianca Andreescu (CAN): No. 50 ========> No. 48 (Andreescu gets into the top 50, even thogh she was idle last week. She faces Harmony Tan in the first round of the US Open Monday).

Angelique Kerber (GER): No. 52 ========> No. 50 (Kerber, too, gets into the top 50. But she’s not playing. She has a different project off court that’s taking up her focus – she’s expecting her first child).

Daria Saville (AUS): No. 73 ========> No. 58 (Saville, who moved into a seeded spot at No. 9 with the withdrawal of Beatriz Haddad Maia from Granby, made good on that by reaching the finel. After needing a protected ranking to return after a long time away and foot surgery, she is up to her best ranking since that return. She’s playing doubles at the US Open with Leylah Fernandez).

Rebecca Marino (CAN): No. 112 ========> No. 106 (Marino made the quarterfinals in Granby, and is about a match win away from the top 100 again in New York. Her first round is against Magdalena Frech of Poland).

Laura Siegemund (GER): No. 216 ========> No. 182 (Siegemund qualified and won a round in Cleveland last week, after winning a couple of $25K events in Europe on clay over the summer as she chips away at her ranking bit by bit upon return from injury).

Brenda Fruhvirtova (CZE): No. 271 ========> No. 233 (The 15-year-old is making her way up the rankings after winning her third consecutive $25K ITF last week. She beat Luisa Meyer Auf der Heide of Germany 6-0, 6-0 in the final. (And yes, she’s playing far too much tennis for a 15-year-old who is very much still growing. But she’s being very successful. Her sister Linda qualified for theh US Open this past week. It’s a dynasty in the making).

Katherine Sebov (CAN): No. 307 ========> No. 281 (Sebov’s shocker of an upset over Wang Xinyu of China in the first round in Granby was enough to get her back into the top 300. She also took Yulia Putintseva (No. 46 in the world) to 7-5 in the third set in the first round in Toronto. So she’s playing some good tennis).

Marina Stakusic (CAN) No. 630 ========> No. 463 (You can make big moves when you do things at the WTA level. And Stakusic qualified in Granby, beat Jaimee Fourliss (No. 152) in the first round and took Marta Kostyuk (No. 72) to three sets in the second round before bowing out. Needless to say, a career high).

Cadence Brace (CAN) No. 646 ========> No. 469 (Brace, also 17, followed Stakusic’s path by qualifying, beating Kaja Juvan (No. 70) in the first round before falling to Wang Xiyu).

ON THE DOWNSWING

Alizé Cornet (FRA): No. 37 ========> No. 40 (Cornet reached the semis in Cleveland. But a year ago she reached the final at the one-off Chicago tournament. So she drops a little).

Irina-Camelia Begu (ROU): No. 34 ========> No. 42 (Begu lost to Sofia Kenin in the second round in Cleveland, which didn’t cover her points earned for making the final there a year ago).

Marketa Vondrousova (CZE): No. 47 ========> No. 53 (Vondrousova is out of the US Open, and indeed has been out since losing in the first round in Stuttgart in April to Ons Jabeur).

Elina Svitolina (UKR): No. 43 ========> No. 64 (Svitolina, 27, will be gone for awhile as she’s expecting her first child with husband Gaël Monfils).

Linda Noskova (CZE): No. 87 ========> No. 109 (Noskova, who was at a career high ranking last week, drops out of the top 100 because she didn’t defend a title at a $60K ITF in the Czech Republic a year ago. She had a good reason; she was busy qualifying for the US Open main draw).

Kristina Mladenovic (FRA): No. 114 ========> No. 123 (It’s been a tough road for Mladenovic, who was the No. 14 seed in qualifying but went out in the first round to 16-year-old Czech Sara Bejlek. Bejlek ended up going all the way and into the main draw).

Linda Fruhvirtova (CZE): No. 158 ========> No. 167 (Like her young countrywoman Noskova, Fruhvirtova had points to defend as she got to the second round in Cleveland a year ago as a lucky loser, ranked No. 376. This year, she was busy qualifying for the main draw at the US Open).

Sara Bejlek (CZE): No. 194 ========> No. 209 (The 16-year-old is the third Czech teenager to sacrifice short-term maintenance for long-term potential. Bejlek qualified and made the quarterfinals of a $60K ITF a year ago. And this summer she won two more $60Ks. This week, she defeated Mladenovic, Priscilla Hon and Heather Watson to qualify for the US Open main draw, while still very much of junior age).

Nadia Podoroska (ARG): No. 190 ========> No. 212 (Podoroska is making her way back from a long injury absence on a protected ranking. She lost in the first round in Granby last week, while having made the second round in Cleveland a year ago).

Francoise Abanda (CAN): No. 501 ========> No. 608 (Abanda has played little this year, although she has been seen around the national centre in Montreal).