WTA Rankings Report – As of Jan. 6, 2025

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MELBOURNE, Australia – This first week of the tuneups ahead of the Australian Open is actually a big one, potentially, for some players.

Although in the end, there weren’t enough swings at the top of the rankings to make any dent in the seedings.

But there’s great news for a number of players including Naomi Osaka, who is back in the top 50 despite her retirement in the Auckland final.

And for loyal foot soldier Yulia Putintseva, who is at a career high this week.

ATP Rankings Report – As of Jan. 6, 2025

For the complete, updated WTA rankings, click here.

Mirra Andreeva (RUS): No. 16 ==========> No. 15 (The 17-year-old was at a career high coming into the 2025 season, and she’s already improved on that just by making the semifinals in Brisbane. It’s going to be a challenging season for her because nothing is new and fresh. And the rise isn’t nearly as easy when you have all those points to defend. But she seems to be getting better, so all hope is there).

Yulia Putintseva (KAZ): No. 29 ==========> No. 25 (Putintseva lost a tough one to No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the third round in Brisbane. But lo and behold, she’s at a career high, just a few months before her 30th birthday)(Adelaide 1R: Donna Vekic)

Ons Jabeur (TUN): No. 42 ==========> No. 40 (In her first tournament since early August, Jabeur made the quarterfinals. But it’s bunched up in that area of the rankings and it was only worth a two-spot jump)(Adelaide 1R: [4] Danielle Collins)

Clara Tauson (DEN): No. 50 ==========> No. 41 (Tauson gets inside the top 50 for only the second week since the summer of 2022; her career high of No. 33 came in Feb. 2022, when she was just 19. She’s only 22 now, and she wins her third career title in Auckland. Naomi Osaka won the first set, but then retired)(Hobart 1R: Anhelina Kalinina).

Anhelina Kalinina (UKR): No. 55 ==========> No. 48 (Kalinina, who kind of disappeared off the face of the earth in 2024, comes back strong and gets herself back ito the top 50. She makes the semis in Brisbane)(Hobart 1R: Clara Tauson).

Naomi Osaka (JPN): No. 57 ==========> No. 50 (Osaka is back into the top 50 for the first time in exactly two years, and into her first WTA final since 2022, with her effort in Auckland. Osaka was ranked No. 833 a year ago; unfortunately for her – and the fans – she retired after winning the first set of the final).

Ashlyn Krueger (USA): No. 64 ==========> No. 54 (Krueger still just 20, made the the quarters in Brisbane).

***(TENNIS AUSTRALIA/ David Kapernick)***

Polina Kudermetova (RUS): No. 107 ==========> No. 57 (Kudermetova, 21, has moved to a career high and jumped ahead of her big sister Veronika with her surprise run from the qualifying to the Brisbane final. Her sister, who got as high as No. 9, drops four spots to No. 76 on this day. Unfortunately for her, it all came too late for the AO, as she’s the No. 6 seed in qualifying this week)(AO qualies 1R: Susan Bandecchi).

Alycia Parks (USA): No. 82 ==========> No. 68 (The maddeningly inconsistent Parks helps herself a lot by making the Auckland semis. She lost to Osaka, but gets herself back into the top 70. Unfortunately for her that all came too late, and there weren’t enough withdrawals. So she finds herself as the No. 1 seed in AO qualifying)(AO qualies 1R: Mirjam Bjorklund).

Rebecca Marino (CAN): No. 102 ==========> No. 98 (Marino worked hard last fall to get back into the top 100, so she could earn direct entry into the Australian Open. She fell just short – until Sunday morning, when she got the news that Barbora Krejcikova had withdrawn and she had squeezed in. After winning a round in Auckland, she’s back in the top 100 as well).

Kimberly Birrell (AUS): No. 113 ==========> No. 99 (Birrell doesn’t have to worry abou getting into the AO, as an Aussie. But at 26, she moves to a new career high and inside the top 100 for the first time in her career – her previous best was exactly No. 100. She took a wild card all the way to the quarters in Brisbane).

Robin Montgomery (USA): No. 117 ==========> No. 105 (A career high for the 20-year-old, who is switching from Fila to Nike. She makes the Auckland semifinals)(AO qualies 1R: Polona Hercog)..

Aoi Ito (JPN): No. 126 ==========> No. 109 (Ito, 20, wins the Canberra WTA 125 and creates great momentum heading into the AO qualifying)(AO qualies 1R: Sayaka Ishii).

Sijia Wei (CHN): No. 134 ==========> No. 119 (Another Asian player who made a lot of hay last fall, 21-year-old Wei, reaches a career high by making the Canberra WTA 125 final)(AO qualies 1R: Aliaksandra Sasnovich).

Gao Xinyu (CHN): No. 175 ==========> No. 146 (Pressed into service at United Cup after the late withdrawal of Zheng Qinwen, Gao won both her matches and moves up to a career high, at age 27)(AO qualies 1R: Anouk Koevermans).

Belinda Bencic (SUI): No. 489 ==========> No. 421 (Bencic, just back from maternity leave, is operating a protected ranking and has a wild card into the Adelaide qualifying. But she won a match at United Cup, and moves up nearly 40 spots with that)(Adelaide 1R: [7] Anna Kalinskaya)

Jelena Ostapenko (LAT): No. 15 ==========> No. 17 (Ostapenko drops two spots after a surprise second-round loss in Brisbane to Marie Bouzkova. She’s back at it in Adelaide – and is teaming up with the astonishing Hsieh Su-Wei in doubles)(Adelaide 1R: Magdalena Frech).

Victoria Azarenka (UKR): No. 20 ==========> No. 22 (Just squeezed out of the top 20 after a third-round loss in Brisbane, Azarenka is defending fourth-round points at the Australian Open).

Elina Svitolina (UKR): No. 23 ==========> No. 29 (Svitolina isn’t playing any tuneups before the AO; she was in Dubai practicing in the leadup. The 30-year-old hasn’t played since losing in the third round of the US Open to Coco Gauff and had foot surgery. But she’ll still be seeded in Melbourne).

Elina Svitolina wrapped up her final practice of 2024 with Caroline Garcia in Dubai pic.twitter.com/2Yij6Da0Aa
— Ukrainian Tennis • BTU (@ukrtennis_eng) December 31, 2024

Caroline Garcia (FRA): No. 48 ==========> No. 58 (Garcia asked herself a lot of career questions in the off-season, ending it early. But she’s back, although she is skipping the tuneup tournaments and drops 10 spots in the rankings, as she drops points from three wins at the United Cup from last year).

Sloane Stephens (USA): No. 74 ==========> No. 84 (Stephens is now 31, and her ranking isn’t going in the right direction. She went out quietly in the first round of Brisbane, but did make the doubles semifinals)(Hobart 1R: Ann Li)

Nuria Parrizas Diaz (ESP): No. 91 ==========> No. 104 (Parrizas Diaz drops point from winning the Canberra WTA 125 a year ago. But it comes late enough that she can still make it straight into the main draw in Melbourne).

Brenda Fruhvirtova (CZE): No. 178 ==========> No. 197 (A year ago, at 16, Fruhvirtova was ranked No. 107. She drops points from qualifying and winning a round a year ago in Auckland and heads to the AO qualifying to try to make something happen, Last year, she qualified and won a round in Melbourne)(AO qualies 1R: [PR] Ysaline Bonaventure).