Three women in the field have topped the world rankings this season, incumbent Simona Halep and her predecessors Garbine Muguruza and Karolina Pliskova, but none of them have been able to kick on and cement their place as the tour's dominant player.
Factbox on Romanian Simona Halep, who beat Sloane Stephens 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 to win the French Open title on Saturday:
Rafael Nadal reclaimed top spot in the men's ATP rankings on Monday
Looking to improve her claycourt skills, she spent a bit of time at 11-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal's academy.
India's Leander Paes and Purav Raja sailed into the men's doubles second round in the duo's first outing at a Grand Slam but Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna crashed out of their respective events in the US Open.
Bencic broke Aiava at love to open the match, one of the six break points she converted, and was never really tested as the 18-year-old Australian made 24 unforced errors.
Next up for the 35-year-old will be another American in 39th-ranked Tommy Paul with a potential semi-final clash against top-seeded Russian Daniil Medvedev, who he defeated in the Australian Open final from a two-sets deficit.
Rohan Bopanna's campaign at the last Grand Slam of the season ended with defeat in the mixed doubles along with Canadian partner Gabriela Dabrwoski while India's juniors also fizzled out in the singles in the US Open in New York.
The popular Romanian, who had lost three major finals before Saturday, showed signs of nerves at first but recovered to outclass her 10th-seeded opponent.
Top seeds Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis breezed into the women's third round with a 6-3, 6-1 win over the Japanese pairing of Eri Hozumi and Miyu Kato at the Wimbledon championships on Sunday.
American veteran Venus Williams was sharpening her reactions for the barrage of big serves she can expect in her Wimbledon semi-final against British favourite Johanna Konta on Thursday, going through a relentless practise routine on the eve of battle.
Former number one Martina Hingis is not impressed by the current crop of young players whose main focus is on hitting harder, rather than developing an all-round game, the Swiss veteran said.
Asked which thoughts, the world number two from Constanta said: "The only one, very tough thought is one set, 3-0 up, that I couldn't take that game.
US Open champion Stephens again ended former world number one Victoria Azarenka's hopes of a fairytale comeback by beating her 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 in an afternoon encounter, while French Open champion Ostapenko beat unseeded American Danielle Collins in the nightcap, staving off a set point en route to a 7-6(1), 6-3 triumph.
The 26-year-old first reached the top last October but lost the spot 16 weeks later having not hoisted a Grand Slam trophy.
Images from Day 5 of the French Open, at Roland Garros, in Paris.
Defending champions Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis brushed aside Christina Mchale and Jelena Ostapenko to move into the quarter-finals of the Wimbledon Championships on Monday.
Venus Williams produced a vintage display full of guts and determination to grind out a 7-5, 6-7(3), 7-5 victory over Jelena Ostapenko at the WTA Finals on Tuesday to set up a White Group decider for a semi-finals berth against Garbine Muguruza.
Former world number one Serena Williams will not be seeded at this year's French Open, according to the organisers of the May 27-June 10 claycourt Grand Slam.
A summary of Tuesday's play at the French Open.
Rafael Nadal rallied from a set down to ease past Fabio Fognini 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 in the Italian Open quarter-finals on Friday and set up a mouth-watering clash against long-time adversary Novak Djokovic for a place in Sunday's final. Djokovic plotted a similar path to the Spanish clay-court king when the Serb lost the first set against Japan's Kei Nishikori before recovering to win 2-6, 6-1, 6-3 and seal an open-era record 51st career meeting against Nadal.
Earlier, Ukraine took a 2-0 lead over Japan as world number five Elina Svitolina took the first point of the Billie Jean King Cup era.
The women's seedings at Wimbledon usually follow the WTA rankings list but can be tweaked by the All England Club in special circumstances.
Following Iga Swiatek's victory over Coco Gauff in the final, here's a list of French Open women's singles champions:
World number two Simona Halep beat Maria Sharapova 6-2, 6-2 in the China Open third round on Wednesday for her first win over the Russian in eight attempts.
Rafael Nadal swept into the quarter-finals of the Italian Open on Thursday with a ruthless 6-4, 6-1 victory over Canadian teenager Denis Shapovalov. The top seed, who will reclaim the world number one ranking from Roger Federer if he wins his eighth title in Rome, turned in a near-flawless performance, losing only five service points as he honed in on victory in an hour and 22 minutes.
In a professional career lasting more than two decades, Venus Williams is closing in on a 50th WTA title and credits her longevity to a love of the game and a desire to constantly improve.
Czech Karolina Pliskova rose to the top of the WTA rankings without striking a ball on Tuesday as results at Wimbledon saw her overhaul Germany's Angelique Kerber.
The exodus of seeded players has been so spectacular that only one of the top 10 remains -- number seven Karolina Pliskova.
World number two and top seed Caroline Wozniacki, runner-up at the south coast event last year, cruised into the semi-finals with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Australia's Ashleigh Barty.
'It's very emotional. I've been waiting for this moment since I was 14'
Tactical change helps Halep to French Open semis
It wasn't just the tennis that amazed audiences at Roland Garros.
Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza and her Swiss partner Martina Hingis extended their winning streak to 37 games with a straight sets victory in the opening round of the women's doubles event at the St Petersburg Ladies Trophy on Thursday.
Sloane Stephens's US Open win could be the first of many Grand Slam titles for the young American, but there is a question mark on her ambitions, according to former world number one Mats Wilander.
The German sixth seed, who has not won a title since winning at Flushing Meadows last year, never got into the match against the 2016 WTA newcomer of the year.
Images from the 2022 Wimbledon Championships at the All England Club in London on Sunday.
He leads the men's seedings ahead of defending champ Roger Federer, with Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov seeded third.
Former Wimbledon runner-up Eugenie Bouchard successfully negotiated the qualifying draw on Thursday, beating Colombian Mariana Duque-Marino 6-3, 6-2 to secure a spot in next week's main draw.
Millman, ranked 80 places above world number 14 Pouille, needed 73 minutes to clinch a 6-3, 6-4 victory and the best win of his career by ranking position.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances