Coco Gauff leads alternative rankings after US Open as Aryna Sabalenka lands at World No.3 despite title success

After the conclusion of the US Open, the women's UTR Ranking, an alternative to the WTA ranking, has been updated. The UTR is considered to more accurately reflect the current form of the top stars. This is why Coco Gauff, who was eliminated in the US Open Round of 16, remains in the top spot, while the champion at Flushing Meadows, Aryna Sabalenka, only reaches third place.

Unlike the WTA rankings, which are based on tournament points, the Universal Tennis Rating (UTR) focuses on evaluating a player's consistency and current form. The system operates on a 16-point scale, analyzing the last 30 matches played over the past 12 months. It considers match competitiveness rather than just results, placing greater emphasis on victories against stronger opponents.

The podium has remained unchanged for months, with the three most recent Grand Slam champions leading the UTR Ranking—just like in the WTA Ranking, but not in the same order. Gauff, the Roland Garros champion, commands the alternative ranking, while Iga Świątek holds the second spot, and Sabalenka is third.

The top 5 is rounded out by Elena Rybakina and Ekaterina Alexandrova, two players who have used their consistency to become some of the winningest players this season: Alexandrova with 38 wins and Rybakina with 44.

Following Rybakina and Alexandrova, who don't even reach the top 10 in the WTA rankings, are the names of Mirra Andreeva, a two-time WTA 1000 champion this season, and Zheng Qinwen, who has been off the courts for the last month of the American hard-court swing, missing the Canadian Open, Cincinnati, and the US Open.

Perhaps the biggest surprise in the top 10 is Markéta Vondroušová, who is barely ranked No. 35 in the WTA. The Czech player has only played a handful of tournaments this season and has an 18-8 record, having defeated opponents like Paolini and Rybakina at the US Open before retiring from her match against Sabalenka due to injury. She has 12 wins in her last 16 matches.

Just behind her is Naomi Osaka, a finalist at the Canadian Open and a semifinalist at the US Open. The four-time Grand Slam champion has been one of the most dominant players in the final part of the season, with 10 wins and two losses in her last two tournaments, reaching the final in Montreal and the semifinals at Flushing Meadows.

Closing out the top 10 is Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, who is coming off first-round losses at the Cincinnati Open and US Open but has been consistently winning throughout the season to remain in the top tier, as she fights to finish the season in the WTA top 10.

Just outside the top 10 are Americans Amanda Anisimova (11th) and Jessica Pegula (12th). The former reached the US Open final, making it two consecutive Grand Slam finals, though she ultimately fell to Sabalenka. As for Pegula, she reached the US Open semifinals before also being eliminated by the Belarusian. Further back, Emma Raducanu, Jasmine Paolini, and Paula Badosa round out the top 15.