Historic moment: Three American women inside WTA top-5 for first time in 21 years

Madison Keys has risen in the WTA rankings, joining Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula in the top five. This is a remarkable achievement, as it's been more than 20 years since three American women were simultaneously ranked in this elite group.

The last time this happened, Serena Williams (No. 3), Lindsay Davenport (No. 4), and Jennifer Capriati (No. 5) were all inside the top five. Together, they won 29 Grand Slam titles and spent nearly 450 weeks at the top of the rankings, with Williams leading the way.

This time, it's Coco Gauff (No. 3), Jessica Pegula (No. 4), and Madison Keys (No. 5) who have secured top-five spots in the same week. Keys reached her career-best ranking on Monday, benefiting from point losses by Elena Rybakina and Jasmine Paolini, which allowed her to move up despite not playing.

Over the past 52 weeks, Gauff has won titles at the WTA Finals and China Open, Pegula has triumphed at WTA 1000 Toronto and WTA 500 Berlin, while Keys has claimed victories in Australia and at WTA 500 Strasbourg Open and Adelaide. They currently trail only Aryna Sabalenka (No. 1) and Iga Swiatek (No. 2), who have alternated at the top of the rankings since April 2022, when Swiatek replaced Ash Barty following her retirement. Together, Sabalenka and Swiatek have spent 152 weeks as WTA No. 1.

Gauff, Pegula, and Keys highlight the strong presence of American women in the WTA Tour, marking the first time since Williams-Davenport-Capriati in 2003 that three Americans are in the top five—three legends of the game.

While they lead the charge, American tennis' strength is further reflected in the current rankings, with four players in the top 10, including Emma Navarro. Expanding to the top 20, Danielle Collins (No. 14) and Amanda Anisimova (No. 18) also feature. As of this Monday, there are nine Americans in the top 50 and 17 in the top 100.

All three—Williams, Davenport, and Capriati—reached world No. 1 and won multiple Grand Slam titles. Serena Williams’ historic career is well known, with 23 Grand Slam titles and 319 weeks as world No. 1 between 2002 and 2017. Her compatriots also had stellar careers, with their peak years in the early 2000s.

Capriati first reached world No. 1 in 2001 and held the top spot for a total of 17 weeks. She won three Grand Slams, reached three other major finals, and claimed 14 titles, including an Olympic gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Games.

Davenport, on the other hand, won three Grand Slams, finished runner-up in four, and amassed a total of 55 titles while losing 38 finals. She also had an impressive 130 wins against top-10 players. Davenport held the No. 1 ranking for 98 weeks, making her the 10th player in history with the most weeks at the top.

The three Americans competed against some of the best players of their era and true legends of the game. Kim Clijsters, Justine Henin, Amelie Mauresmo, and Maria Sharapova were among those who challenged the Americans in major events and also battled for the top spots in the WTA rankings.