With a win over Serena Williams[1] in the 2016 French Open[2], Garbine Muguruza moves to a career-high No. 2 in the WTA Rankings (to be released Monday). She also joins a number of players inching closer to taking the top spot from Williams. Muguruza defeated Williams 7-5, 6-4 on Saturday. Now the Spaniard goes from potential star to the newest "it girl" on the WTA Tour. But where does she fall in the latest Bleacher Report power rankings? The newest Slam winner will discover that along with a shiny trophy, she also earned a target on her back. She might want to talk to Ana Ivanovic, Sam Stosur and Angelique Kerber about how much more difficult playing gets post winning a Slam. Meanwhile, Williams must regroup and figure out why she can no longer find her A-game when she needs it most. She'll retain her No. 1 ranking on the WTA tour. But what about here? Have three consecutive heart-breaking Slam losses finally knocked her out of the top spot? The following list ranks players based on their projected WTA ranking, where they are in this season's points race, a.k.a the Road to Singapore[3], and their prospects on grass, the next surface up on the tour. An injury keeps No. 8 Belinda Bencic off the list. Roberta Vinci, who will remain in the Top 10, also failed to make the cut here. Vinci's first-round loss to Kateryna Bondarenko just underscores the struggles she's having—she's lost five of her last six matches. Who else missed the cut? The following are B/R's Top 10 women in tennis after the French Open. Despite having seasons heading in different directions, Kiki Bertens and Petra Kvitova receive honorable mentions. Bertens will move up 31 spots to a career-high No. 27. She will be No. 12 in the Road to Singapore. Her big game should translate well to the grass courts, and she'll benefit from no longer having to play through qualifying rounds. Kvitova is ranked No. 11, but only No. 30 in Road to Singapore. Her third-round loss at Roland Garros is typical of her inconsistency. The only reason she receives an honorable mention is that the tour heads to grass, where Kvitova remains one of the best in the game. Svetlana Kuznetsova[4] has quietly put together one of the best seasons she's had in recent years. She's at No. 8 on the Road to Singapore and No. 12 on the WTA rankings. Kuznetsova reached the quarterfinals in Rome, the finals in Miami, the semis in Prague and the finals in Sydney. A two-time Grand Slam champion, she's as tough an out as there is on the tour when healthy. Like Kuznetsova, Carla Suarez Navarro floats under the radar. Her consistency is often taken for granted. Although she's ranked outside of the WTA's Top 10, Suarez Navarro is No. 6 on the Road to Singapore. A solid clay-court player, Suarez Navarro has actually had more success on the hard courts this year. She reached the semifinals in Brisbane, the quarterfinals at the Australian Open and won the title in Dubai. Until she injured her knee, Victoria Azarenka[5] looked like the best player on the tour. She's still ranked No. 3 on the Road to Singapore. However, her health is the reason she slips to No. 8 here. She had to retire in the first round of the French Open and then withdrew[6] from the Aegon Open, a Wimbledon warm-up tournament in Nottingham, England, as reported by Press Association Sport (h/t Eurosport[7]). Venus Williams[8] has fallen behind in the road to Singapore, mainly because of uneven results this year. She's lost her opening match in four tournaments. Still, like with Kvitova, Williams is a grass master. Also, because of a strong finish last year and solid showings at the Australian Open and French Open, she goes into Wimbledon ranked inside the Top 10. This will give her a more favorable draw than she's had to endure in recent years. Timea Bacsinszky was able to reach the quarterfinals of the French Open, where she lost to Bertens. Bacsinszky took out Venus Williams in the fourth round. She is No. 10 on the Road to Singapore and will be No. 10 in the WTA rankings on Monday. Last year, she backed up her semifinal appearance at the French Open by reaching the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. Underrated, Bacsinszky continues to improve her all-court game. Outside of Serena Williams, Simona Halep was considered the player most likely to win the French Open—she had reached the finals in 2014. However, slower conditions rendered Halep vulnerable to big hitters. She lost to hard-hitting Sam Stosur in the fourth round. After the match, Halep told reporters,[9] via Noel John Alberto at Vavel: "I cannot comment about the conditions. I have no words. It was impossible to play, in my opinion. And to play tennis matches during the rain I think it's a bit too much. But everyone was in the same situation, and who was stronger won today." When Angelique Kerber lost to Bertens in the first round, it looked like another flame-out by a flash-in-the pan Slam winner. However, Bertens would later prove to be one of the hottest players in the tournament. Kerber slips to No. 4 in the WTA rankings, but she is still No. 2 in the Road to Singapore. Her best result at Wimbledon was a semifinals appearance in 2012. She'll need a strong showing at Wimbledon to regain confidence. Despite her rain-soaked defeat at the French Open, Agnieszka Radwanska still has a chance to overtake Serena Williams at No. 1 during the grass-court season. Radwanska has her own points to defend, as she reached the semifinals last year. A finalist at 2012 Wimbledon and semifinalist last year, Radwanska will need to put her frustrations from Roland Garros behind her and concentrate on her goal to win her first Slam. Muguruza's run through the 2016 French Open was as confident as you'll see from a never-before Grand Slam winner. Now a Grand Slam champion, Muguruza will go into tournaments with a target on her back. Before the final, she told reporters she had matured[10] since her last meeting with Serena. That type of calm focus is what we can expect from the WTA's newest champion. Williams was near tears while delivering her runner-up speech. Perhaps the 21-time Grand Slam champion knew she let another chance slip away. Still, Williams will remain No. 1 on the WTA rankings, the Road to Singapore and these power rankings. However, with every Grand Slam loss, Williams loses a bit more invincibility. It's just that she's been such a towering figure over the rest of the field that even after being brought down a few notches she's still No. 1. 
Garbine Muguruza smiles with the trophy after winning the 2016 French Open.
Kiki Bertens hits a forehand during the semifinals of the 2016 French Open.
Svetlana Kuznetsova hits a forehand during a match at the 2016 French Open.
Carla Suarez Navarro prepares to hit a forehand during a match at the 2016 French Open.
Victoria Azarenka hits a forehand during the 2016 French Open.
Venus Williams during a match at the 2016 French Open.
Timea Bacsinszky hits a backhand during a match at the 2016 French Open.
Simona Halep prepares to hit a forehand at the 2016 French Open.
Angelique Kerber tries to make a play on the ball during her opening round match at the 2016 French Open.
Agnieszka Radwanska serves during a match at the 2016 French open.
Garbine Muguruza celebrates her semifinals win at the 2016 French Open.
Serena Williams slides to make a play on the ball at the 2016 French Open.
References
- ^ Serena Williams (bleacherreport.com)
- ^ French Open (bleacherreport.com)
- ^ Road to Singapore (www.wtatennis.com)
- ^ Svetlana Kuznetsova (bleacherreport.com)
- ^ Victoria Azarenka (bleacherreport.com)
- ^ withdrew (www.eurosport.com)
- ^ Eurosport (www.eurosport.com)
- ^ Venus Williams (bleacherreport.com)
- ^ told reporters, (www.vavel.com)
- ^ had matured (www.foxsports.com)
Source ↔ Download Lagu Online
