With her 6-3, 7-6 (4) loss to Kim Clijsters in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, Caroline Wozniacki has lost the No. 1 ranking.
Three women now have a chance to grab the top spot: No. 3 Victoria Azarenka, who overtook Wozniacki with her win over Agnieszka Radwanska; No. 2 Petra Kvitova, who as long as she keeps pace with Azarenka has a 205 point lead over the Belarussian; and No. 4 Maria Sharapova, who must at least reach the final to become No. 1, and win it if Kvitova reaches the semifinals.
Sharapova and Kvitova play their quarterfinals on Tuesday. Azarenka will face Clijsters in the semifinals.
The 21-year-old Wozniacki has spent 67 weeks at No. 1, but has yet to win a major.
"I have been there for a long time already. I finished No. 1 two years in a row," Wozniacki said. "We are just in January. In the end of the year you see who has played the best, most consistently all year round. I will get it back eventually, so I'm not worried." —Matt Cronin