SHARAPOVA TO ASSUME SONY ERICSSON WTA TOUR WORLD No.1 RANKING
Change at the top following Henin's retirement and official request to be removed from rankings ST PETERSBURG, FL, USA – With the announcement of her immediate retirement from professional tennis, and at her request, World No.1 Justine Henin will be removed from the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Rankings. As such, the next rankings – to be released on Monday, May 19 – will see the current No.2, Russian Maria Sharapova, assume the top spot for the fourth time in her career.
Henin, currently in her 117th non-consecutive week and fourth stint in the top spot, is the sixth longest reigning No.1 since the inception of computer singles rankings in November 1975. The 25-year-old announced her decision to retire at a press conference in her native Belgium on Wednesday. This coming Monday will see Sharapova commence her 15th career week at No.1, having first ascended to the top ranking on August 22, 2005. After a one-week spell at No.1 she regained the position two weeks later from Lindsay Davenport, where she remained for six weeks. Sharapova was also No.1 for seven weeks from January to March 2007.
After an injury-plagued latter half of 2007, Sharapova made a major resurgence at last November's Sony Ericsson Championships in Madrid, Spain, where she made it all the way to the final before narrowly losing to Henin, 57 75 63. That form has continued into 2008, so far compiling an impressive 24-2 win-loss record, winning her third career Grand Slam singles title at the Australian Open, defeating No.1 Henin 64 60 in the quarterfinals, No.4 Jelena Jankovic 63 61 in the semifinals and No.3 Ana Ivanovic 75 63 in the final. She has also won titles at the Tier I Qatar Total Open in Doha and Tier II Bausch & Lomb Championships in Amelia Island, FL. Sharapova, 21, is the first Russian and one of only 16 women to have held the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour World No.1 Singles Ranking, as is shown below: Read more
