Ranking Reaction: Garin breaks into Top 30 after winning in Cordoba

There was no movement in the Top 100 of the WTA rankings this week as the women were playing for national pride in Fed Cup—which doesn’t award points—but there was plenty of action on this week’s ATP rankings, with three 250-level events taking place on three different continents.

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Chile’s Garin made the most significant move of the week, rising from No. 31 to No. 26—his Top 30 debut—after winning his first ATP title of the year, and the third of his career, on the clay courts of Cordoba, Argentina. His 2-6, 6-4, 6-0 win over No. 14-ranked Diego Schwartzman in the final was the second-biggest win of his career—he beat a No. 3-ranked Alexander Zverev in Munich last year.

Garin was a ranking point away from breaking the Top 25, too—he now has 1,570 ranking points, the same as current No. 25 Kei Nishikori. However, when two players have the same amount of ranking points, the first tie-breaker is who has more total points combined from the Grand Slams, Masters 1000s and ATP Finals; and Nishikori has more than twice as many points at those events in the last 12 months.

Schwartzman would have returned to his career-high of No. 11 with the title. He stays at No. 14.

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Halfway across the world in Pune, India, former Top 40 player Vesely went all the way to his first ATP title in five years, and subsequently surged back into the Top 100, rising from No. 107 to No.72.

The Czech, who was once ranked as high as No. 35 in 2015, needed third set tie-breaks to beat Ilya Ivashka in the quarterfinals and Ricardas Berankis in the semifinals—saving match points in both of those matches—before outdoing first-time ATP finalist Egor Gerasimov in the final, 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-3.

“I have to be realistic. I had a lot of luck this week, saving six match points [across] two matches in a row,” Vesely told ATPTour.com. “I think that happens once in a lifetime, maybe, you never know. But two matches in a row, especially in the quarterfinals and semifinals, is really big. But I am happy with this week. I’ve been waiting for it for so long. I’ve been working very hard to be with a trophy again.”

Gerasimov jumped 19 spots from his previous career-high of No. 90 to a new personal best No. 71.

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Pospisil also made a big move up the rankings this week, jumping from No. 132 to No. 104—nearly breaking back into the Top 100 for the first time in a year—after making the final in Montpellier, France, surprising No. 10 David Goffin in the semis before falling to No. 9 Gael Monfils in the final.

The Canadian, a former No. 25 and Wimbledon quarterfinalist, missed the first half of 2019 after undergoing back surgery, falling as low as No. 248 later in the year. But he came back at Wimbledon and worked his way up to No. 150 by the year-end rankings, and now he has the Top 100 in sight.

“I’m not putting pressure on myself over ranking, but I would ultimately like to get back to the Top 30, and a career-high ranking,” he said. “If I didn’t think I could do that, I don’t think I’d still be playing.”