REACTION: Sabalenka stops Gauff for third Madrid title, WTA storylines heading into Rome | TC Live

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The Mutua Madrid Open is one of the biggest tournaments on the calendar, and every year, once it’s over, there are some major storylines on the new rankings—and this year is no different.

Let’s start at the very top with the world No. 1, Aryna Sabalenka, who won her third title of the year in the Spanish capital.

She went into Madrid with 10,768 ranking points, and went from being a runner-up last year (650 points) to the champion this year (1,000 points), meaning she adds 350 points to her ranking—that bumps her up to 11,118 ranking points, which isn’t just the first time she’s surpassed 11,000 ranking points in her career, but she’s only the third woman in the last decade to achieve the feat.

WOMEN WITH 11,000+ RANKING POINTS IN THE LAST DECADE (since May 2015):

  • Serena Williams: 20 weeks [2015]
  • Iga Swiatek: 24 weeks [2022, 2023, 2024]
  • Aryna Sabalenka: 1 week so far [2025]

Serena’s highest points total was 13,161 for three weeks in 2015, while Swiatek’s highest was 11,695 for six weeks in 2024.

And there’s more.

With No. 2-ranked Swiatek going from Madrid champion last year (1,000 points) to semifinalist this year (390 points), her ranking points drop from 7,383 to 6,773. That means Sabalenka’s lead at No. 1 now grows by almost a thousand points, from 3,385 to 4,345.

That’s the biggest lead for a woman at No. 1 since the weeks of March 6th and 13th, 2023—during Indian Wells—when Swiatek led then-No. 2 Sabalenka by 4,485 points, 10,585 to 6,100.

Over the last 12 months, Sabalenka has won six titles and reached a total of 10 finals.

Over the last 12 months, Sabalenka has won six titles and reached a total of 10 finals.

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Meanwhile, there are some major shake-ups in the Top 10 of the ATP rankings, starting with Jack Draper, who rises from No. 6 to No. 5—his Top 5 debut—after reaching the final in Madrid.

Not only is he just the second left-handed man to be ranked in the Top 5 this century, after Rafael Nadal, he's the fourth man born in 2001 or later to reach the Top 5, after Carlos Alcaraz, Holger Rune and Jannik Sinner. He's also the fourth British man to crack the elite after Greg Rusedski, Tim Henman and Andy Murray.

A few spots down, Lorenzo Musetti also makes a big breakthrough, rising from No. 11 to No. 9—his Top 10 debut—after reaching the semifinals in Madrid, where he fell to Draper.

He’s the third man born in 2002 or later to reach the Top 10, after Alcaraz and Rune, and just the sixth Italian man to break into the elite since ATP rankings began in 1973, after Adriano Panatta, Corrado Barazzutti, Fabio Fognini, Matteo Berrettini and Sinner.

And finally, a re-breakthrough—just two weeks after dropping out for the first time in over a year, Casper Ruud soars back into the Top 10, cutting his ranking in more than half—from No. 15 to No. 7—after capturing the biggest title of his career in Madrid.

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There are plenty more breakthroughs outside the Top 10, too, including Brandon Nakashima making his Top 30 debut—the American rises from No. 32 to No. 29 this week after reaching the fourth round in Madrid, where he fell to Daniil Medvedev.

Japanese rising star Moyuka Uchijiima makes her Top 50 debut, rising from No. 56 to No. 47 after reaching the first WTA 1000 quarterfinal of her career—along the way she stunned the world No. 3, Jessica Pegula, for the first Top 10 win of her career.

And the woman who ended Uchijima’s run in the last eight, Elina Svitolina, rises from No. 17 to No. 14 following her semifinal showing in Spain, which is her first time being ranked in the Top 15 since becoming a mom—the Ukrainian, a former No. 3, gave birth to her first child in October 2022 and returned to the tour in April 2023.