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A nice British moment in Nottingham this week, as an all-Brit final ended up with Katie Boulter winning her first career WTA title – at her home club.

Boulter is among many who reach career highs this week, as most of the top players return to action at the second-week grass-court events.

In ‘s-Hertogenbosch, it was an all-Russian final with Ekaterina Alexandrova beating compatriot Veronika Kudermetova to win her fourth career title title.

ATP Rankings Report – As of June 19, 2023

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

ON THE UPSWING

Ekaterina Alexandrova (RUS): No. 26 ======> No. 22 (Still a ways away from her career high of No. 16, but Alexandrova wins ‘s-Hertogenbosch – her fourth, and first with new coach Dmitry Tursunov, who began with her in Rome). She faces Liudmila Samsonova in the first round of Berlin).

Mayar Sherif (EGY): No. 40 ======> No. 31 (Sherif eschewed the grass last week, going to Valencia and winning a WTA 125 there. It’s a career high – last week was also a career high – for the 27-year-old from Egypt. She’s not playing this week’s grass either).

Bianca Andreescu (CAN): No. 37 ======> No. 35 (Andreescu lost in the second round of ‘s-Hertogenbosch, and loses some points overall, but gains two spots in the rankings. She is close to perhaps nailing down a seed at Wimbledon, if she can have a good week this week. But she faces Marketa Vondrousova in the first round of Berlin. Vondrousova laid a beatdown on her in her opening match in Rome last month).

Alizé Cornet (FRA): No. 72 ======> No. 60 (Cornet, at 33, just keeps on trucking. She made the Nottingham semifinals, and faces No. 6 seed Maria Sakkari in the first round of Berlin).

Katie Boulter (GBR): No. 126 ======> No. 77 (Boulter, 26, has been dealing with back issues and struggling the last couple of years. But she’s back in the top 100 – and at a career high, with a thrilling first WTA title in Nottingham, which is her home club. She gets Zhu Lin in the first round of Birmingham this week).

Elizabeth Mandlik (USA): No. 110 ======> No. 97 (Mandlik, 22, qualified in Nottingham and makes the quarterfinals, moving her into the top 100 for the first time in her career).

Jodie Burrage (GBR): No. 131 ======> No. 108 (Burrage makes the Nottingham final, and is just two spots off her career high. The wild card gets fellow British wild card Harriet Dart in the first round of Birmingham).

Heather Watson (GBR): No. 195 ======> No. 145 (The former No. 38 makes a nice move by qualifying in Nottingham and making the semifinals. She also made the doubles final).

Emina Bektas (USA): No. 186 ======> No. 150 (Bektas gets to the top 150 for the first time, at age 30, after qualifying and making the quarterfinals at ‘s-Hertogenbosch).

Wang Yafan (CHN): No. 261 ======> No. 226 (The former No. 47’s comeback continues on the ITF circuit in China, where she wins another title in Luzhou).

Fiona Ferro (FRA): No. 398 ======> No. 302 (Ferro, too, is on the comeback trail. And she built upon her effort in Roland Garros qualifying and went to Biarritz, where she won the $60K ITF on clay and finds herself on the cusp of the top 300).

Dimitra Pavlou (GRE): No. 662 ======> No. 477 (There aren’t many Greek women out there. So this 19-year-old’s effort to go from the qualifying to the title at a $15K ITF in Kursumlijska Banja and jump 185 spots in the rankings is noteworthy).

Victoria Mboko (CAN): No. 556 ======> No. 465 (Even though she’s still only 16, Mboko seems to have forsaken the junior circuit this year and is playing pro events. She adds points from qualifying and winning a round at a $60K ITF last week, plus a semifinal effort at a $25K in Austria that took two weeks to show up. All in all, she leaps 91 spots to a new career high).

ON THE DOWNSWING

Donna Vekic (CRO): No. 20 ======> No. 23 (Vekic lost in the second round of Nottingham, after making the quarters from the qualifying a year ago. She gets Varvara Gracheva in the first round of Berlin, where she’s also defending points).

Zhang Shuai (CHN): No. 31 ======> No. 36 (Zhang is really scuffling, and drops after losing in the first round of Nottingham. She made the final in Birmingham a year ago. She faces Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the first round this year).

Sorana Cirstea (ROU): No. 32 ======> No. 38 (Cirstea didn’t play last week, and it cost her six spots as she drops the points from last year’s semifinal. She plays a qualifier in the first round of Birmingham).

Simona Halep (ROU): No. 36 ======> No. 40 (Halep’s status is still unknown, after being off the tour all year dealing with a doping suspension. She drops points from a Birmingham semifinal last year, and has 110 from a Bad homburg semi coming up. She made the Wimbledon semifinals as well. But since no points were awarded, that’s a break).

Alycia Parks (USA): No. 43 ======> No. 51 (Parks lost in the first round of Nottingham, and drops points from qualifying and winning a round in Berlin last year. You would think grass would be her thing, given her big serve and her game style. The jury’s still out on that, though. She faces No. 5 seed Anhelina Kalinina in the first round of Birmingham).

Dalma Galfi (HUN): No. 98 ======> No. 132 (Galfi drops out of the top 100 after losing in the first round of ‘s-Hertogenbosch, after winning the $100K ITF in Ilkley a year ago. She’s playing that tournament again this week, as the defending champion).

Daria Saville (AUS): No. 182 ======> No. 235 (Saville drops out of the top 200 after her points from last year’s Berlin tournament drop. But on the plus side, she’s been out since last September after knee surgery, and finally made her return last week in Birmingham, winning her first round qualifying match).