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Some of the top players decided to take a pass on the WTA 500 in Seoul, Korea.
Which, as it often does at this stage of the season, gives opportunities to other players to make big moves in the rankings.
Same in Hua Hin, Thailand, where eigh tunseeded players ended up in the quarterfinals.
On the points side, this is going to be a tough two weeks for a lot of players, with last year’s Beijing points dropping as well as those from events like Tokyo, since the China Open expanded to two weeks.
For the complete, updated WTA Rankings for Sept. 23, click here.

Daria Kasatkina (RUS): No. 13 ==========> No. 11 (Kasatkina, pushed into service at the WTA 500 in Seoul after some notable withdrawals, she gets close to the top 10 by reaching the final).
Beatriz Haddad Maia (BRA): No. 17 ==========> No. 12 (Haddad Maia has had a so-so-year. But she’s still managed, somehow to maintain her ranking at a reasonable level. And with her title in Seoul, she moves up five spots).
Veronika Kudermetova (RUS): No. 44 ==========> No. 39 (Kudermetova is back into the top 40 after her semifinal effort in Seoul. But she has points from a big effort in Tokyo coming off next week – the tournament itself has been pushed back to October this year).

Emma Raducanu (GBR): No. 70 ==========> No. 54 (Another injury concern for Raducanu, who retired after the first set of her quarterfinal in Seoul Saturday because of a foot injury. But despite relatively little play this year, she’s still up to No. 54 in the world and less than 100 points from returning to the top 50 for the first time since Sept. 2022, when she was ranked No. 11 and just before her points from winning the 2021 US Open dropped off. Raducanu began the season outside the top 300).
Rebecca Sramkova (SVK): No. 102 ==========> No. 61 (The 27-year-old from Slovakia, who made a rush commute from the Monastir final to play the qualifying in Hua Hin, wins the tournament from the qualies aid is up to a career-high No. 61. Worth the trip for her first career title).

Laura Siegemund (GER): No. 97 ==========> No. 69 (Siegemund, who is 36, is another big beneficiary of the light field in Hua Hin this week, as she reaches the final and solidifies her spot in January’s Australian Open).
Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS): No. 122 ==========> No. 107 (Tomljanovic has been injured most of the time, since she ended Serena Williams’ career at the 2022 US Open. She did win a round in Seoul last week, still using her protected ranking. And at least she’s getting within shouting distance of the top 100 again).

Polina Kudermetova (RUS): No. 163 ==========> No. 127 (The 21-year-old sister of Veronika made her first WTA level quarterfinal last week in Seoul, out of the qualifying. She was out of gas by the time she played Kasatkina, but a great week for the Kudermetova family in Korea, and a new career high).
Tamara Zidansek (SLO): No. 261 ==========> No. 202 (Zidansek is operating on a protected ranking, but she helped herself a fair bit by making the semifinals in Hua Hin, to get within a couple of points of returning to the top 200).


Carol Zhao (CAN): No. 272 ==========> No. 234 (Zhao qualified and won a round at the WTA 500 in Seoul, to make a dent in a ranking that has dropped quite a bit in 2024. She also made the qualifying in Beijing this week).

Stacey Fung (CAN): No. 296 ==========> No. 270 (Fung won a $25K in Santarem, Portugal two weeks ago, which helped her ranking. But it was too quick a turnaround for her to do much in the qualifying of a $100K in Portugal last week, which could have been a lot more helpful).

Maria Sakkari (GRE): No. 9 ==========> No. 17 (It took awhile during a tough season that involved the sacking of two different coaches, but Sakkari finally drops out of the top 10, with the loss of her points from winning Guadalajara a year ago. She is missing the China Open tournament next week as well, which is an automatic zero-pointer, with an ongoing shoulder injury. That’s another 400 points off from Beijing and Tokyo; her ranking will drop out of the top 20).
Victoria Azarenka (BLR): No. 19 ==========> No. 23 (Azarenka, another player bothered by injury, drops points from making the quarterfinal in Guadalajara last year. She retired there in her opening match this year and isn’t playing Beijing next week).


Leylah Fernandez (CAN): No. 26 ==========> No. 28 (Idle last week, Fernandez drops points from her quaterfinal in Guadalajara a year ago. She will still have a first-round bye in Beijing, especially with all the withdrawals. And while she’s not fedending anything there, she has a title in Hong Kong and a semi in Jainxi coming up for renewal on the Asian swing).
Caroline Garcia (FRA): No. 29 ==========> No. 36 (Garcia, who like Sakkari has had a sub-par year and has fired coach Bertrand Perret for a second time, drops outside the top 35 for the first time since July, 2022 with the loss of her points from her Guadalajara semifinal a year ago. She, too, is taking a pass on Beijing and it just 17-16 on the season. She has 315 points coming off in the next rankings in two weeks. A year ago, Garcia was in the top 10).

Sloane Stephens (USA): No. 65 ==========> No. 75 (Stephens is playing a lot of events, but with a lot of apparent killer instinct to win matches. She loses in the first round of Seoul to Hailey Baptiste and drops points from a second round in Guadalajara a year ago).
Wang Xiyu (CHN): No. 62 ==========> No. 95 (A tough blow for the 23-year-old Chinese lefty, who lost in the second round in Hua Hin and drops her points from winning the Guangzhou Open a year ago).

Caroline Dolehide (USA): No. 45 ==========> No. 98 (Dolehide’s big breakthrough in singles came a year ago in Guadalajara, where she was a surprise finalist. Those points drop off Monday. And she drops from No. 45 all the way down to No. 98. She needs to do a little work before the end of the season to make sure she doesn’t have to qualifying in Australia).
Martina Trevisan (ITA): No. 87 ==========> No. 112 (Trevisan, a former top-20 player, is one of a number of players who are pushing themselves out of a main draw spot at the Australian Open. She didn’t play last week, and drops points from making the Guadalajara quarterfinals a year ago to drop out of the top 100).
Ana Bogdan (ROU): No. 95 ==========> No. 120 (Ditto for the 31-year-old Bogdan, idle last week, who drops points from winning the Parma tournament on clay a year ago).


Marina Stakusic (CAN): No. 128 ==========> No. 147 (Idle last week, Stakusic drops points from her effort in winning a $60K ITF a year ago in Berkeley, Calif. She’s into the qualifying at the WTA 1000 in Beijing this coming week, though).
Sofia Kenin (USA): No. 90 ==========> No. 168 (OUCH for the former No. 4, who didn’t play last week and drops all her points from making the semifinals in Guadalajara a year ago. Not only does this basically put her in the qualifying at the AO – although as a former champion, you’d think she’s in with a wild card – but it makes it even more impossible for her to play any of the events the rest of the season. Crazy how far she’s fallen, and so quickly).









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