Ranking Reaction: Rublev keeps climbing Top 20; Barty locks in No. 1

Andrey Rublev continued his climb up the Top 20 on the ATP rankings this week, rising from No. 18 to No. 16 after winning his second straight ATP title in Adelaide. The 22-year-old Russian had just made his Top 20 debut on last week’s rankings after winning Doha, going from No. 23 to No. 18.

He’s the first man in 16 years to win two titles in as many weeks to open the season. The last man to do it was Slovakia’s Dominik Hrbaty, who won Adelaide and Auckland to kick off the 2004 season.

“I was not really thinking about [this statistic], but it’s an amazing feeling. I’m really happy,” Rublev said. “I hope I keep working, and I hope I keep improving, and we’ll see what’s going to happen.

“I’m happy these two weeks went this way. I got two titles. It’s amazing. I’ve never had this before.”

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France’s Humbert also made another big move up the ATP rankings this week, soaring from No. 57 to No. 43 after capturing his first ATP title in Auckland. The Frenchman, whose previous career-high was No. 46, upset Top 20 players Denis Shapovalov and John Isner en route to the title.

“It’s a tournament of revenge because I’ve lost to four of the five players I played this week,” Humbert said. “It’s a great improvement for me and I couldn’t dream of a better beginning for the season.”

Other players setting new career-highs in the ATP rankings this week were Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz, who rose from No. 34 to No. 31 after reaching the semifinals of Auckland; Britain’s Dan Evans, who inched up from No. 33 to No. 32 after reaching the quarterfinals of Adelaide; and South Africa’s Lloyd Harris, who jumped from No. 91 to No. 72 after reaching the first ATP final of his career in Adelaide.

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There was barely any movement within the Top 20 of the WTA rankings—just Simona Halep and Naomi Osaka flip-flopping, with Halep moving from No. 4 to No. 3 and Osaka from No. 3 to No. 4—but there was some good news for Barty, who guaranteed herself of hanging onto No. 1 after the Australian Open by reaching the final of Adelaide. She went on to win the title, too.

“Obviously it’s the perfect preparation,” Barty said in Melbourne on Sunday. “But regardless of whether I won the title or not last week, I feel like I’m well-prepared. I’m happy, I’m healthy. I’m coming into the first Grand Slam of the year with a smile on my face. That’s all I can ask of myself.

“But it’s really special to be able to have won a title last week, my first on Australian soil.”

Had Barty lost in the semis of Adelaide, Halep would’ve had an outside shot at No.1 in Melbourne.

A pair of rising stars set new personal bests in the WTA rankings, too, with 19-year-old Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska rising from No. 24 to No. 21 after her run to the final of Adelaide and 20-year-old Kazakhstani Elena Rybakina going from No. 30 to No. 26 after her second WTA title in Hobart.

Former No. 38 Heather Watson also surged back into the Top 100, rising from No. 101 to No. 75 after coming through qualifying and going all the way to the semifinals of Hobart, falling to Rybakina.