MOTW: Nao Hibino

We see the top ranked players that have been in the top ten to twenty range consistently and we are lulled into forgetting how much work they did and continue to do to stay ranked so highly. Every week when I do the ranking changes, I realize it is not so easy. Many of the lower ranked players cannot sustain the level of play week in and week out to keep their rankings high and that is why there are frequent ups and downs in their rankings. A lack of commitment is not the only reason we see this degree of volatility in their ranking, as injury often plays a major role. Sometimes it takes so much to get your ranking back up after an injury that many players lose their way. It is especially hard, the older you get, and the diminishing returns of your hard work can make some players give up.

Hibino Wins 2nd Career Singles Title

At twenty-four-years-old, Nao Hibino is still young enough to get excited. Four years ago, she won her first singles title in Tashkent and started the 2016 season at a career high of fifty-six. There were no obvious injuries in Hibino’s history; however, that does not mean she has not battled an injury. An injury does not have to be big to have significant impact on your game, little injuries can sometimes be the worse culprits in destroying your form. Winning the title in Hiroshima this past weekend will do wonders for her confidence and may be the boost she needed to re-double her efforts to get her ranking to a newer career high now that she is back in the top hundred. There is still enough time left in the season to accomplish that goal and we wish her well.

Top 100 ATP & WTA Ranking Changes

NAME	SPOTS MOVED	NEW RANKING
Corentin Moutet (FRA)	DOWN  14	96
Nao Hibino (JPN)	UP  59	87
Rebecca Peterson (SWE)	UP  26	52
Misaki Doi (JPN)	UP  24	83
Elena Rybakina (KAZ)	UP  20	49                     CAREER HIGH
Jessica Pegula (USA)	DOWN  18	78

Top 10 ATP & WTA Ranking Changes

ATP: there were no changes amongst the top twenty members. Novak Djokovic remains at #1; however, he only leads Rafael Nadal, the #2 ranked player, by 640 points.

WTA: there were also no changes amongst the top twenty members. Ashleigh Barty continues to reign at #1.

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