The WTA celebrated the historic ranking milestones achieved across the 2021 season following the announcement of the 2021 year-end rankings.
Highlights from a record-breaking year include six women making their Top 10 debuts across the season, with three countries – Tunisia, Greece and Estonia – being represented in the Top 10 for the first time in WTA history, and six teenagers finishing inside the Top 100.
In addition, the 2021 WTA Year-End World No.1 Ranking in singles and doubles belongs to Ashleigh Barty and Katerina Siniakova respectively, four players finished in the Top 50 in both singles and doubles, while overall 35 countries and regions are represented in the singles year-end Top 100.
A breakdown of the Top 10 year-end finishers is below, and for more record-setting and notable information on the 2021 WTA year-end rankings, click here.
1.Ashleigh Barty: For the third consecutive year, Barty finishes the year at No.1, joining Stefanie Graf, Martina Navratilova, Serena Williams and Chris Evert as the only players to finish as year-end No.1 for three consecutive years.
2.Aryna Sabalenka: The 23-year-old Belarusian becomes the 33rd different woman to finish the year in the Top 2 since the rankings were introduced in 1975.
3.Garbiñe Muguruza: After three consecutive year-end Top 10 finishes (from 2015 to 2017), Muguruza’s AKRON WTA Finals Guadalajara title lifts her to a No.3 year-end ranking after finishing last season ranked No.15.
4.Karolina Pliskova: This is Pliskova’s sixth consecutive Top 10 finish, the longest active streak.For the first time since 1986, there are two women representing the Czech Republic ranked in the year-end Top 5 as Pliskova finishes at No.4 and Krejcikova at No.5. In 1986, Hana Mandlikova finished at No.4 and Helena Sukova at No.5.
5.Barbora Krejcikova: Krejcikova’s previous-best year-end ranking was No.65 (2020). She is the only woman to finish the year in the Top 10 in singles (at No.5) and doubles (at No.2).
6.Maria Sakkari: The first Greek woman to finish the year in the Top 10, Sakkari has improved her year-end ranking for the 11th consecutive year.
7.Anett Kontaveit: With her ranking of No.7, Kontaveit posts the highest year-end finish by an Estonian, previously belonging to Kaia Kanepi, who finished 2012 ranked No.19. Kontaveit’s previous season-ending best ranking was No.21 (2018).
8.Paula Badosa: For the first time since 2000, Spain has two women in the year-end Top 10 as Badosa joins Muguruza. In 2000, Conchita Martinez (No.5) and Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario (No.9) both finished in the Top 10.
9.Iga Swiatek: The 20-year-old becomes the second Polish woman to finish the year in the Top 10, joining Agnieszka Radwanska, who finished in the year-end Top 10 eight times during her illustrious career.
10.Ons Jabeur: A breakthrough year for Jabeur concludes with yet another milestone as she becomes the first Arab woman to finish in the Top 10 at No.10 after climbing as high as No.7 on November 1.
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