Garbine Muguruza has become the world number 1 in the WTA Ranking at the age of 23 after Karolina Pliskova was beaten by Coco Vandeweghe 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 in the US Open quarter finals, failing to defend the points from her last year’s final. This year’s Wimbledon champion Muguruza reached the second week at the US Open for the first time this year before losing to Petra Kvitova in the fourth round at Flushing Meadows.
Muguruza will be the second Spanish player to be at the top of the WTA Ranking after Aranxta Sanchez Vicario on 6th February 1995. Sanchez led the WTA Ranking for twelve weeks across three separate periods in 1995.
“I am very happy to be the next world number 1. It’s a very special moment. You always dream to live those moments, but is one of the things you keep for yourself. When it comes to every birthday, I always dreamed to be world number 1 and now I am. I would never have reached the top of the ranking without the support of my family, my team and my fans. It’s a dream that comes true. I hope to keep the top position as long as possible. ”
Muguruza is the 24th player ever to become the world number 1 and the fourth player this year after Serena Williams, Angelique Kerber and Karolina Pliskova. The Spanish player ovetook Pliskova, who was at the top of the WTA Ranking this summer for eight weeks, and will drop to fourth next week, or even fifth, if Venus wins the US Open.
The Venezuelan-born player moved to Spain in 1999 at the age of six. She won two Grand Slam titles at the French Open in 2016 and at Wimbledon in 2017. At Roland Garros one year ago she became the fifth woman to beat Serena Williams in a Grand Slam final. Last July she was crowned Wimbledon champion after beating Serena’s sister Venus Williams.
Muguruza has been unbeaten in finals this year winning another top tournament at Cincinnati and reached the semifinals in Brisbane, Birmingham and Stanford and the quarter final in Toronto. She is one of the only two players to have reached the second week at all four Grand Slam tournaments along with Venus Williams, who reached the finals at the Australian Open and Wimbledon and the semifinal at the US Open this year. She has also scored eight wins against top-10 players, including victories against Angelique Kerber at Wimbledon and Karolina Pliskova at Cincinnati.
The new WTA Ranking after the US Open to be released on 11th September will be:
1 Muguruza 6030
2 Halep 5965
3 Svitolina 5640
4 Pliskova 5520
5 Venus Williams 4756
