Victoria Azarenka of Belarus stayed top of the WTA world rankings on Monday ahead of Maria Sharapova and Agnieszka Radwanska.
With none of the top players in action, US Open winner Serena Williams, widely regarded as the best player in the world, remained in fourth place.
Croatia’s Donna Vekic, who at 16 became the youngest WTA finalist since 2006 at Tashkent, jumped 62 places to stand at 121st.
WTA top 20
1. Victoria Azarenka (BLR) 10265 pts
2. Maria Sharapova (RUS) 8435
3. Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) 8295
4. Serena Williams (USA) 7900
5. Petra Kvitova (CZE) 6690
6. Angelique Kerber (GER) 5085
7. Sara Errani (ITA) 4755
8. Li Na (CHN) 4526
9. Samantha Stosur (AUS) 4200
10. Marion Bartoli (FRA) 3800
11. Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) 3440
12. Ana Ivanovic (SRB) 3200
13. Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) 3005
14. Maria Kirilenko (RUS) 2935
15. Roberta Vinci (ITA) 2425
16. Kaia Kanepi (EST) 2344
17. Lucie Safarova (CZE) 2210
18. Nadia Petrova (RUS) 2005
19. Vera Zvonareva (RUS) 1875
20. Julia Goerges (GER) 1815 (+1)
Flipkens seizes first WTA title
Kirsten Flipkens made the most of her first WTA finals opportunity, capping a dream week at the Bell Challenge with a 6-1, 7-5 victory over eighth-seeded Lucie Hradecka in Sunday’s final.
Both finalists were seeking a first career WTA title. Hradecka had come up short in four prior finals appearances, while Flipkens, 26, had never before reached a championship match.
It didn’t look that way on Sunday, as she dispatched Hradecka, of the Czech Republic, in 69 minutes.
Her triumph punctuated a week that included a first-round upset of top-seeded Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova and a semi-final win over third-seeded German Mona Barthel. Flipkens’ previous best WTA showings were four trips to the semi-finals, most recently at ‘s-Hertogenbosch this year.
