Osaka back to No. 2 behind Barty

Naomi Osaka’s Australian Open championship moved her up one spot to No. 2 in the WTA rankings Monday, while men’s finalist Daniil Medvedev rose to a career-best No. 3 behind winner Novak Djokovic on the ATP list.

Jennifer Brady, the 25-year-old American who was the runner-up to Osaka, jumped 11 spots to No. 13, her first time inside the Top 20.

Tennis – Australian Open – Women’s Singles Final – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, February 20, 2021 Japan’s Naomi Osaka gives an interview as she celebrates with the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup after winning her final match against Jennifer Brady of the U.S. REUTERS/Loren Elliott

Essentially, in order for players’ rankings not to be hurt if they skipped events as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, the WTA gives credit for someone’s best 16 tournaments since March 2019.

Barty took nearly a full year off, for example, but still has her points from winning the 2019 French Open and reaching the semifinals at the 2020 Australian Open.

After her previous title in Melbourne, Osaka became the first tennis player from Asia to reach No. 1 in the women’s or men’s rankings. She was born in Japan to a Japanese mother and Haitian father; they moved to the United States when Osaka was 3.

Osaka now swaps places with Simona Halep, who goes from No. 2 to No. 3 after losing to Williams in the quarterfinals.