Iva Jovic is the new world No. 13.
The 18-year-old American defended her Guadalajara Open title on Saturday, beating compatriot Peyton Stearns 6-4, 6-2 in the final without dropping a set all week. The 451 ranking points she earned lifted her three places to a career high when the official WTA rankings were released on Monday.
Jovic now sits one spot behind Belinda Bencic and is the youngest player inside the top 15. Twelve months ago she was ranked outside the top 70. Two Guadalajara titles later, the Los Angeles native has made the top 20 look temporary.
Jovic earned 451 points for her second Guadalajara title and moved to a career-high No. 13.
Elena Rybakina remains No. 1 with 9,902 points after her US Open triumph. Aryna Sabalenka is second on 7,875, followed by Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff. Marta Kostyuk, the only top-10 player in action last week, lost in the Guadalajara quarter-finals and stays at No. 10.
The American Surge
While the top of the list barely moved, the American contingent made the biggest noise.
Stearns, the Guadalajara runner-up, jumped 24 places to No. 36. It is her highest ranking since she peaked at No. 28 last year. Cristina Bucsa climbed nine spots after reaching the semi-finals. Liudmila Samsonova rose 12 places to No. 37/38. Magdalena Fręch, a quarter-finalist, is up 12 to No. 45. Former world No. 3 Sloane Stephens surged 34 places to No. 135 after also reaching the last eight.
Jovic’s rise pushed Diana Shnaider, Victoria Mboko and Sorana Cîrstea down one place each. Naomi Osaka, Alex Eala, Elise Mertens and Jasmine Paolini held their positions inside the top 20.
Raducanu Sliding Towards the Exit
Emma Raducanu continues in the opposite direction. The British player dropped nine places to No. 98 after another week without match play. She has not competed since losing the Queen’s Club final in June. Another inactive week or two and she will fall outside the top 100 for the first time since her return from wrist and ankle surgeries.
Katerina Siniakova fell 18 places to No. 53. Lilli Tagger dropped 13 to No. 59. Maya Joint tumbled 31 places to No. 99.
SP Open Still Undecided
The other WTA event of the week, the SP Open in São Paulo, has its final scheduled for Monday. Kaitlin Quevedo faces Nadia Podoroska. Quevedo is already up 14 places to a career-high No. 91 and could break into the top 80 with the title. Podoroska has climbed 117 places to No. 200. Paula Badosa reached the semi-finals and is closing on a return to the top 50 at No. 56 (+13). Anna Blinkova is up eight to No. 86.
Top 20 Snapshot (as of 21 September 2026)
- Elena Rybakina (KAZ) – 9,902
- Aryna Sabalenka – 7,875
- Jessica Pegula (USA) – 7,265
- Coco Gauff (USA) – 7,244
- Mirra Andreeva – 5,743
- Linda Noskova (CZE) – 5,328
- Elina Svitolina (UKR) – 4,809
- Karolina Muchova (CZE) – 4,683
- Iga Świątek (POL) – 4,199
- Marta Kostyuk (UKR) – 4,040
- Amanda Anisimova (USA) – 3,363
- Belinda Bencic (SUI) – 2,935
- Iva Jovic (USA) – 2,841 (+3)
- Diana Shnaider – 2,588 (-1)
- Victoria Mboko (CAN) – 2,521 (-1)
- Sorana Cîrstea (ROU) – 2,464 (-1)
- Naomi Osaka (JPN) – 2,306
- Alex Eala (PHI) – 2,276
- Elise Mertens (BEL) – 2,165
- Jasmine Paolini (ITA) – 2,123
Jovic is the clear story of the week. An 18-year-old who has now won the same WTA 500 title twice, never dropped a set in the defence, and moved inside the top 15 for the first time. The gap to the top 10 is no longer theoretical.
At 18, Jovic is the youngest player inside the WTA top 15 after her second Guadalajara title.
The hard-court swing continues. China and the Asian swing will decide who makes the WTA Finals. For now, the American teenager has made the rankings her own.
By Amelia | Tennis Correspondent, Sportspherearena
Tennis correspondent covering the ATP Tour, WTA Tour, all four Grand Slams, ATP Masters 1000, WTA 1000 and Davis Cup.
