By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Monday April 5, 2021
Hubert Hurkacz and Iga Swiatek are both inside the Top 20 this week, and so is Lukasz Kubot.
Photo Source: ATP Cup
Monday was sweet 16 day for Polish tennis.
Hubert Hurkacz, Miami champion, rose from 37 to 16 in the ATP rankings, while Iga Swiatek remained at her current spot at No.16. Strangely, Lukasz Kubot dropped one spot from 15 to 16 in the ATP doubles rankings, which means that Poland basically has a lock on the No.16 in the rankings at the moment.
Coincidence aside, it’s a tremendous time for Polish tennis. And at least some of the credit should go to Agnieska Radwanska. The Pole deserves a lot of credit for raising the bar for Poland over the course of her magical career. The former World No.2 and Wimbledon runner-up won 20 singles titles and earned 594 wins over the course of her career, and developed a reputation as one of the most sublime shotmakers in the sport.
Swiatek has yet to match Radwanska in ranking or win total, but the 19-year-old became Poland’s first Grand Slam singles champion last October when she stormed to the Roland Garros crown without dropping a set. Swiatek became the youngest champion in Paris since 1992.
Hurkacz has been a bit of a slow developer but the 24-year-old made a big splash over the weekend when he stormed to the Miami title, defeating two Top 10 players (Tsitsipas, Rublev) at the same event for the first time and becoming the first Polish singles player to ever win a Masters 1000 title.
Hurkacz is now 3-0 lifetime in finals - not bad strike rate.
Truly things are looking up for Poland, with Top 20 players in three disciplines.
ATP Risers: Sinner Top 25
Jannik Sinner, the youngest finalist in Miami in 16 years, rises eight spots to a career-high of 23—one has to believe that the 19-year-old is headed for the Top 10 and perhaps even by the end of the season. Miami was just his third Masters 1000 event and he nearly became the youngest champion in the tournament’s history.
American Sebastian Korda, who reached the quarterfinals at Miami, climbs 22 spots to No.65, and becomes the seventh highest-ranked American. The 20-year-old topped Fabio Fognini for his first Top 20 win in Miami and then knocked off Diego Schwartzman for his first Top 10 win.
American Taylor Fritz becomes the highest-ranked American for the first time, as he rises two spots to No.30 and passes John Isner, who drops to No.38.
Emil Ruusuvuori jumps eight spots to a career-high 75, thanks to his round of 16 appearance in Miami.
Hsieh Su-Wei Back to No.1 Doubles
Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-Wei begins her 40th week as the WTA’s No.1 doubles player, replacing Aryna Sabalenka, who spent six weeks at the top.
On the singles side, Sara Sorribes Tormo is the biggest mover in the Top 50. The Spaniard, who reached the quarterfinal in Miami, makes her Top 50 debut at No.48—a rise of ten spots.
Inside the Top 10 the biggest mover was Miami runner-up Bianca Andreescu, who climbs from No.9 to No.6 and inside the Top 20 the biggest mover was Maria Sakkari of Greece (Miami semis), who climbs from No.25 to No.19.
In other news, Venus Williams dropped 11 points to No.90. It’s Williams’ lowest ranking since 19 March 2021, when she was last ranked outside the Top 100.