Naomi Osaka has made a massive leap in global tennis rankings after a breakthrough performance at the Qatar Open in Doha last week.
Current standing: Osaka, 26, now sits at no. 286 in the Women’s Tennis Association’s (WTA) rankings, up 461 places from no. 747. The former world no. 1, who holds four Grand Slam titles, dropped in the rankings after a 15-month break during which she welcomed her first child, Shai.
Latest match: The Japanese Haitian tennis star exited Doha after losing to the Czech Republic’s Karolina Pliskova 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (7-5) on Thursday’s quarterfinal. This is her second defeat against Pliskova — a fellow former world No. 1 — this year after Brisbane International, which marked her comeback to the professional circuit.
What’s next: Osaka pulled out of this week’s Dubai Tennis Championships alongside reigning title holder Barbora Krejcikova. She is now expected to set her eyes on next month’s Indian Wells and Miami Open tournaments.
