Ranking Reaction: Ons Jabeur breaks Top 20, Reilly Opelka into Top 30

She was already the first Arab woman to reach the Top 50 on the WTA rankings, but this week Ons Jabeur one-ups her own record—the Tunisian rises from No. 22 to No. 20, her Top 20 debut, after reaching the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 in Montreal.

It was her fifth quarterfinal in her last nine tournaments.

“I feel like I am gaining more experience every match,” she said after beating defending champion Bianca Andreescu in the third round in Montreal.

“Let’s say the Olympics wasn’t very good. Now I feel like I’m back in the tennis world where kind of I belong. In my mind I want to really qualify for the WTA Finals. That’s something that’s really on my mind, even during the matches. I’m doing my best.

“I’m trying to have fun also. I’m giving it all. Glad that the ranking is moving, as well.”

The last two women standing in Montreal both made notable moves as well, with Karolina Pliskova returning to the Top 5 after her runner-up finish, rising from No. 6 to No. 4, and Camila Giorgi surging from No. 71 to No. 34 after winning the title.

It was actually by far the biggest title of Giorgi’s career—her previous two titles both came at WTA 250s. The Italian is now eight spots off her career-high of No. 26.

“It’s just amazing. I’m very happy for what I did this week,” Giorgi said after her 6-3, 7-5 win over Pliskova in the final on Sunday, her third straight win over the Czech since June. “This comes from all the work I’ve been doing with my father, of course he’s my coach, all the work we’ve been doing together through all these years.

“I think we were sure that this could come one day at any period, because I was playing a very high level already a few months ago. I was just believing in myself.”

Meanwhile, over on the ATP rankings, Reilly Opelka’s run to his first Masters 1000 final in Toronto propelled him from No. 32 to No. 23, soaring past his previous career-high of No. 31 for his Top 30 debut. He’s now also the new American No. 1 for the men, leapfrogging countryman John Isner, who moved up the rankings himself this week, going from No. 30 to No. 26 after reaching the semis in Toronto.

It was also a good week for Casper Ruud, who reached the quarterfinals in Canada, which nudged him up from No. 12 to No. 11 on the ATP rankings on Monday. The Norwegian, who recently became the first player in almost a decade to win three ATP titles in three straight weeks with his wins in Bastad, Gstaad and Kitzbuhel, is just 315 points behind No. 10 Denis Shapovalov (3,625 to 3,310).