Ranking the Top 10 Women's Players After the 2015 French Open
Serena Williams' win at the 2015 French Open confirmed what everyone already knew: She's by far the best player in the game. It's not even close. Playing with flu-like symptoms narrowed the gap but fell short of leveling the playing field.
Williams is playing for more than the No. 1 ranking. She's shooting for greatest of all time.
Despite her ranking and legendary status, Williams arrived at Roland Garros on shaky ground. Going into the French Open, Maria Sharapova, Carla Suarez Navarro and Petra Kvitova had more momentum.
However, those players exited Roland Garros earlier than expected. The quarterfinals featured Timea Bacsinsky, Alison Van Uytvanck, Elina Svitolina and Lucie Safarova.
Were these French Open results an anomaly, similar to Wimbledon in 2013? That was the year several top seeds went out early and Marion Bartoli emerged victorious.
Or has there been a slight shift on the women's tour? Have veterans such as Safarova and Ana Ivanovic turned a corner? Perhaps feisty young players like Svitolina, Bacsinsky and Garbine Muguruza have found their footing on tour and are ready to step into the top 10.
One thing is clear, Williams' reign is secure. She's increased her points lead at No. 1.
Williams is the undisputed No. 1 player, but who rounds out the top 10 after the French Open?
Honorable Mentions
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Elina Svitolina, Ekaterina Makarova and Karolina Pliskova earned honorable mentions. Makarova enjoyed another strong showing at a Grand Slam, reaching the fourth round. However, Timea Bacsinsky performed better and played her way into our top 10.
Svitolina and Pliskova, talented up-and-coming players, are on the verge of breaking into the WTA's top 10.
A run into week two at Wimbledon just might get them there.
10. Timea Bacsinszky
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After losing the semifinal match against Williams, Timea Bacsinszky left the court in tears. Those tears mean she believed she squandered an opportunity. She also believes she belongs among the best players.
Bacsinszky showcased her variety of shot and calm on-court demeanor during the match against Williams. She and Halep represent a throwback to players such as Chris Evert, who relied on keen court-sense instead of just the raw power we see from the likes of Maria Sharapova, Petra Kvitova and Ana Ivanovic.
She knocked off Madison Keys and Kvitova en route to her first Slam semifinal. Bacsinszky makes the top 10 because she's proven she has the game and mindset required to take on the top players.
9. Carla Suarez Navarro
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Carla Suarez Navarro reached a career-high No. 8 ranking before heading into the French Open. An appearance in the finals in Rome suggested she would be a serious dark horse at Roland Garros. However, she fell in the third round.
Taken out by veteran Flavia Pennetta, Suarez Navarro now faces the challenge of the quicker grass and hard courts. A steady player with some of the cleanest ball-striking skills on tour, Suarez Navarro gets the opportunity to prove she's in the top 10 to stay.
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8. Angelique Kerber
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Angelique Kerber's clay-court season got off to a solid start. She won titles in Charleston and Stuttgart. However, she could not overcome ball-bashing Garbine Muguruza in the third round.
Kerber will be ranked No. 10 by the WTA. She comes in at No. 8 here because, despite the third-round loss (a tough three-setter), she's playing the best tennis of her career.
Now it's on to Wimbledon where Kerber took out Maria Sharapova last year.
7. Caroline Wozniacki
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Caroline Wozniacki will remain in the top five when the new rankings are released Monday. Yet she fails in the eye-ball test. She's not playing like a top-five player.
She comes in at No. 7 here because of a lackluster performance at the French Open.
Losing to Julia Gorges is nothing to be ashamed of. But as a former No. 1 player who considers herself a Grand Slam title contender, Wozniacki has to win tough second-round matches against unseeded opponents.
When you are at the top, of course, the lower-ranked players are gunning for you. Champions win those type of matches, regularly.
6. Ana Ivanovic
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After an uneven clay-court season, Ana Ivanovic got her comeback on track at the French Open. She reached the semifinals at Roland Garros for the first time since she won the tournament in 2008.
Taken out by Lucie Safarova, Ivanovic can take pride in having surprised many by her fabulous showing at the French Open.
5. Lucie Safarova
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Lucie Safarova's run at the French Open gives her a top-10 ranking for the first time in her career.
Playing with a new-found confidence, Safarova finally capitalized on the talent and strength she's had all along. Up until the final, Safarova had not lost a set.
Against Williams, Safarova was down a set and 1-4 in the second before rolling off four consecutive games. She then won a tie-breaker, forcing the third set.
She heads into Wimbledon to defend her semifinal run there last year. If she fails to defend those points, her stay in the top 10 may be short-lived.
4. Simona Halep
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Simona Halep's second-round exit was the first big upset of the French Open. Mirjana Lucic-Baroni stunned Halep in straight sets, 7-5, 6-1.
A 2014 French Open finalist, Halep has to regroup and try to regain confidence in the grass-court season. She's still one of the most consistent players on tour. She'll remain at No. 3 in the WTA rankings. She comes in here at No. 4 because her confidence has been shaken.
3. Maria Sharapova
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Although Maria Sharapova will fall to No. 4 in the WTA rankings, she's No. 3 here because she's playing better tennis than Halep right now.
Like several players at this year's French Open, Sharapova suffered from a cold. She managed to win through the sniffles until she ran into a red-hot Lucie Safarova.
Sharapova will benefit from less pressure at Wimbledon. She lost to Kerber in the fourth round last year. So defending points should prove easier for the hard-hitting Russian.
2. Petra Kvitova
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Petra Kvitova takes over the No. 2 spot in the WTA rankings and here too. She proved her clay-court prowess by winning in Madrid. She demolished Williams in the semifinals, 6-2, 6-3.
More importantly, the tour shifts to grass where Kvitova reigns supreme. The defending Wimbledon champion is as fit as she's ever been in her career.
1. Serena Williams
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Serena Williams battled flu-like symptoms and tough opponents throughout the French Open. It was certainly not her prettiest performance in a Grand Slam; however, it might be the grittiest.
She's looked under the weather and out of her game so often this year. Yet here she stands, with 20 Grand Slams, winner of the last three. She still has a chance to accomplish a calendar-year Slam, one of the few milestones that has eluded her.
After her win, Williams told NBC's Mary Carillo via live broadcast that this was "by far the most dramatic" title run: "I didn't even train yesterday, I've had the flu...it's just been a nightmare."
Not even illness can stop Williams when she sets her sights on trophies. When she is ill or injured, the rest of the field has a chance. A healthy Williams is unbeatable.
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