WTA Rankings Report – As of March 18, 2024

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INDIAN WELLS, Calif. – Some no-shows and some early exits and, as has become almost (but not quite) a pattern, a lot of opportunity at this WTA 1000 for the lesser-known players to make hay.

In the Middle East, it was the unexpected Jasmine Paolini.

At Indian Wells, an impressive Emma Navarro even though in the end, the trophy went to the world No. 1.

Swiatek is now more than 3,500 points ahead of Aryna Sabalenka in the rankings.

With Indian Wells being a two-week event (get used to it, they’ll all be this way soon enough), that’s also two weeks worth of events at the lower levels that get caught up on this Monday.

ATP Rankings Report – As of March 18, 2024

For the complete, updated WTA Rankings for Monday, click here.

Opening round Miami Open opponents are indicated below, in purple.

Zheng Qinwen (CHN): No. 8 ==========> No. 7 (Zheng ties her career best, even though she earned just 10 points at Indian Wells after being upset in the first round by lesser-known countrywoman Yuan Yue. But Marketa Vondrousova, who withdrew before her second-round match, had more to defend and drops below her). (Bye – Bogdan/Siniakova)

Daria Kasatkina (RUS): No. 12 ==========> No. 11 (A fourth round in the desert moves Kasatkina up one, mostly because Karolina Muchova, who hasn’t played since the US Open semifinal last September and had wrist surgery a month ago, drops a lot of points from a quarterfinal in the desert last year). (Bye – Petra Martic/Q-LL)

Emma Navarro (USA): No. 23 ==========> No. 20 (Welcome to the top 20 to the 22-year-old American, who made the quarterfinals in Indian Wells and is at another career high). (Bye -Martina Trevisan/Q-LL)

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS): No. 24 ==========> No. 22 (She went down in the fourth round to Marta Kostyuk (as she did in San Diego). But she’s less than 100 points from being back in the top 20). (Bye – Rogers/L Fruhvirtova)

Marta Kostyuk (UKR): No. 32 ==========> No. 26 (Another career high for the 21-year-old from Ukraine, who made the semis at IW). (Bye-Sorribes Tormo/Rus)

Yuan Yue (CHN): No. 49 ==========> No. 37 (We still don’t know her, but Yue made the quarterfinals in IW after winning her first title in Austin the week before. It’s a career high, at age 25 and after being a pro for eight years). (Anna Blinkova)

Diane Parry (FRA): No. 61 ==========> No. 54 (Clever with the slice, and able to hit a sweet one-handed topspin backhand when she’s of a mind to, Parry beat Leylah Fernandez in the second round and made it to the fourth round, and a career high). (Jaqueline Cristian)

Diana Shnaider (RUS): No. 74 ==========> No. 62 (The 19-year-old Russian lost in the second round at Indian Wells, but she went to the WTA 125 in Charleston and made the final there. Next up? Venus Williams in Miami). ([WC] Venus Williams)

Hailey Baptiste (USA): No. 105 ==========> No. 96 (Already at a career high last week, Baptiste finally breaks into the top 100 after qualifying and winning a round at Indian Wells. A long, strange road it’s been. She has a wild card into Miami). (Wang Xinyu)

Caroline Wozniacki (DEN): No. 204 ==========> No. 129 (Wozniacki, who can get wild cards until the cows come really as a former No. 1, makes a nice dent in her ranking by making the fourth round in IW. A blood blister under her big toe nail ended up kind of finishing her off against eventual champion Iga Swiatek, even though she started out with a 4-1 lead. She gets another wild card into Miami – and, if history serves, will get a sweet court assignment too). (Clara Burel)

Naomi Osaka (JPN): No. 287 ==========> No. 229 (A long way to go, and Osaka didn’t look THAT great at Indian Wells. But she takes a divot out of her ranking. We’re remembering that year she shocked everyone and won Indian Wells – and then had to jet to Miami because she didn’t have a bye in the first round and met … wild card Serena Williams in the first round. And dusted her. She’s a long way from those heady days. But she’s making progress). (Elisabetta Cocciaretto)

Angelique Kerber (GER): No. 607 ==========> No. 342 (Kerber puts a MAJOR dent in her actual ranking, making the fourth round at Indian Wells and losing to fellow comebacker Caroline Wozniacki). (Sloane Stephens)

Hsieh Su-Wei (TPE): No. 694 ==========> No. 605 (Hsieh is still playing singles where she can (she has been using a protected ranking just outside the top 100) and won a round at Indian Wells. She lost in the first round of qualifying in Miami on Sunday after winning the Indian Wells doubles on Saturday with Elise Mertens. She is the new world No. 1 in doubles on this day).

Karolina Pliskova (CZE): No. 39 ==========> No. 46 (Having gotten herself back into the top 40 in the Middle East, Pliskova drops out after losing her opening match at IW to Anna Blinkova. She drew a tough one in Miami, too). (Donna Vekic)

Arantxa Rus (NED): No. 48 ==========> No. 57 (Rus lost in the first round To Tatjana Maria, and dropped some points from a year ago. She had a chance to make up some at the WTA 125 in Charleston. But she lost in the first round there to Rebeka Masarova, despite being the No. 2 seed). (Sara Sorribes Tormo)

Varvara Gracheva (FRA): No. 68 ==========> No. 83 (The newly-minted Frenchwoman is really struggling, and lost in the first round of IW to Yuan Yue, and that turned out to not be so bad a loss. It was, however, her fifth straight opening-round loss since she won a match at the Australian Open). (Qualifier/LL)

Brenda Fruhvirtova (CZE): No. 94 ==========> No. 105 (Fruhvitova, still just 16, hasn’t played since qualifying and making the second round at the Australian Open. … She drops points from winning a $40K ITF in India a year ago a year ago. Both she and her sister got wild cards into the main draw in Miami. Last year she also got a wild card, and lost to Wang Xiyu in the first round. At 15, she was already ranked No. 142 then so while she’s made some progress, it’s probably not quite as much as people expected). (Qualifier/LL)

Bianca Andreescu (CAN): No. 145 ==========> No. 158 (Andreescu was at Indian Wells last week, but only as a “tournament ambassador”. She drops her points from making the third round last year. She is defending fourth-round points in Miami this week. She defeated Raducanu, Maria Sakkari and Sofia Kenin before having to retire with that awful, blood-curdling ankle issue against Ekaterina Alexandrova. When she comes back, she can use a protected ranking of No. 64. On the plus side, she was practicing although she looked a ways away from the competitive match court).

Katherine Sebov (CAN): No. 156 ==========> No. 178 (Sebov, who has been out with a wrist issue since she played countrywoman Rebecca Marino in the Australian Open qualifying, should be back soon. In the meantime, she drops points from winning a $25K ITF in Toronto a year ago. She also is defending a qualifying/second round effort in Miami coming up).

Emma Raducanu (GBR): No. 250 ==========> No. 288 (Raducanu looked pretty good in a third-round loss to Aryna Sabalenka at Indian Wells. But she didn’t defend last year’s points, from a run to the round of 16 that went through Haddad Maia and Linette, despite having issues with both her wrists. Her season ended shortly afterwards, after a first-round loss to Andreescu in Miami. A wild card was needed this year). (Wang Xiyu)