Kim Clijsters and WTA Movers and Shakers on Week of Feb. 14, 2011

Da Bears: www.TennisNow.com

As predicted, Kim Clijsters took over as the new World No. 1 on Monday, surpassing Caroline Wozniacki by 180 points. Wozniacki can reclaim the top spot with a strong performance in Dubai this week while Clijsters is idle.

In failing to defend her title at Pattaya City, Vera Zvonareva fell further behind the top two players in the world. With 7,255 points, Zvonareva now trails Wozniacki by 1,400 points for second.

However, the gap between the top three players and the rest of the field is just as pronounced for the women as it is for the men’s talented trio of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

Zvonareva has a 2,259-point lead on No. 4 Samantha Stosur. The top three women players all have double the points of No. 10 Agnieszka Radawanska.

The biggest move inside the top 25 came from Clijsters’ Paris final opponent Petra Kvitova, however. The 20-year-old Czech Republic native jumped four spots to No. 14 with her second title of the young season. 

Also moving up four spots in the Top 50 was Pattaya City finalist Sara Errani, who jumped from 44th to 40th. Pattaya City semifinalist Bethanie Mattek-Sands moved from 48th to 42nd, the highest ranking of her career to date. 

Get the newest rankings from Feb. 14.

Da Bears: www.TennisNow.com