Ana Ivanovic will retain her No. 1 ranking and Jelena Jankovic will rise to the No. 2 spot when the new rankings are released next week. The other big news is that Agnieszka Radwanska will debut in the top 10, in the 10th ranking spot.
Maria Sharapova will drop a spot to No. 3. Next in the rankings: Svetlana Kuznetsova at No. 4, Serena Williams at No. 5, Elena Dementieva at No. 6, and Venus Williams at a ranking of 7th in the world.
The new rankings might not represent a huge "shake up" to casual observers or even most tennis fans, but I think the US Open Series might be pretty interesting considering how much movement in and out of the top 5 could occur before the US Open. Jelena Jankovic over-scheduled last summer and has a ton of points to defend, for example. Serena Williams has no points to defend, however, and is scheduled to play Stanford and Los Angeles.
I think we'll see some blockbuster match ups this summer that actually build anticipation, like the summer Kim Clijsters rolled. And, I think what happens this summer might also impact the rankings a bit, meaning a quarterfinal or semifinal in Los Angeles or Montreal might actually determine who meets who in the quarters or semis in Flushing.
Even though players say publicly that they don't care about the rankings, it's not inconceivable that the road to the final would include for someone like Sharapova, current No. 3, would include at least one Williams and both Serbs. And given the way everyone in the top 10 has been playing this year, I think players will really want to avoid this if possible...
STANFORD
Serena Williams, Elena Dementieva, and Anna Chakvetadze are entered, as is Marion Bartoli, who might be able to work her way back into the top 10 over the course of the summer.
LOS ANGELES
Jelena Jankovic, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Anna Chakvetadze, and Dinara Safina are entered.
MONTREAL
Ana Ivanovic, Jelena Jankovic, Maria Sharapova, Elena Dementieva, Venus Williams, Anna Chakvetadze, and Dinara Safina are slated to play.
NEW HAVEN
Dinara Safina is the highest ranked player to commit so far. Agnieszka Radwanska, Marion Bartoli, and Agnes Szavay are also scheduled to play. In years past, big names have played the event (Davenport, Henin, and Mauresmo), and Svetlana Kuznetsova is the defending champ, so it's a safe bet that the entry list for this event will grow in the weeks to come.
CINCY (I'm actually not sure if this event counts).
Really too early to tell who'll play and Marion Bartoli is the only "top ranked" play to say she'll be there. Anna Chakvetadze is the defending champ, so I expect Chakvetadze to return, and would be disappointed if Agnieszka Radwanska didn't also enter the event.
Original Story:
http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/3/new....
Maria Sharapova will drop a spot to No. 3. Next in the rankings: Svetlana Kuznetsova at No. 4, Serena Williams at No. 5, Elena Dementieva at No. 6, and Venus Williams at a ranking of 7th in the world.
The new rankings might not represent a huge "shake up" to casual observers or even most tennis fans, but I think the US Open Series might be pretty interesting considering how much movement in and out of the top 5 could occur before the US Open. Jelena Jankovic over-scheduled last summer and has a ton of points to defend, for example. Serena Williams has no points to defend, however, and is scheduled to play Stanford and Los Angeles.
I think we'll see some blockbuster match ups this summer that actually build anticipation, like the summer Kim Clijsters rolled. And, I think what happens this summer might also impact the rankings a bit, meaning a quarterfinal or semifinal in Los Angeles or Montreal might actually determine who meets who in the quarters or semis in Flushing.
Even though players say publicly that they don't care about the rankings, it's not inconceivable that the road to the final would include for someone like Sharapova, current No. 3, would include at least one Williams and both Serbs. And given the way everyone in the top 10 has been playing this year, I think players will really want to avoid this if possible...
STANFORD
Serena Williams, Elena Dementieva, and Anna Chakvetadze are entered, as is Marion Bartoli, who might be able to work her way back into the top 10 over the course of the summer.
LOS ANGELES
Jelena Jankovic, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Anna Chakvetadze, and Dinara Safina are entered.
MONTREAL
Ana Ivanovic, Jelena Jankovic, Maria Sharapova, Elena Dementieva, Venus Williams, Anna Chakvetadze, and Dinara Safina are slated to play.
NEW HAVEN
Dinara Safina is the highest ranked player to commit so far. Agnieszka Radwanska, Marion Bartoli, and Agnes Szavay are also scheduled to play. In years past, big names have played the event (Davenport, Henin, and Mauresmo), and Svetlana Kuznetsova is the defending champ, so it's a safe bet that the entry list for this event will grow in the weeks to come.
CINCY (I'm actually not sure if this event counts).
Really too early to tell who'll play and Marion Bartoli is the only "top ranked" play to say she'll be there. Anna Chakvetadze is the defending champ, so I expect Chakvetadze to return, and would be disappointed if Agnieszka Radwanska didn't also enter the event.
Original Story:
http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/3/new....
