WTA Race Update: Mirra Andreeva holds firm at No. 1 as Emma Raducanu and Donna Vekic rebuild momentum with big weekly jumps

The first week of competition in the grass swing has taken place and Mirra Andreeva remains immovable in first place in the WTA Race. In the top area there were no major movements, after Elena Rybakina wasted her chance at Queen’s — being eliminated in the quarterfinals — and therefore remains in third place, still behind Aryna Sabalenka.

There were no movements in the top 10, where players such as Elina Svitolina, Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff are in a strong position to secure a potential qualification for the WTA Finals. Meanwhile, Donna Vekic was the big winner of the week, rising from outside the top 60 into the top 25 in terms of points earned this season.

On the other hand, Iva Jovic took her opportunity to move a bit closer to the top 10 after her week of competition at Queen’s, positioning herself at No. 12 — with serious intentions of fighting for a top-10 spot, and why not, trusting in strong late-season results to enter the race for a place at the WTA Finals in Riyadh.

Meanwhile, the surprise of the week was Robin Montgomery, who broke into the top 100 of the Race for the first time after winning her first title this weekend. At the same time, Emma Raducanu made a leap from outside the top 80 into the top 45, although still far from the leading positions in yearly points.

The upper part of the Race remains unchanged for another week. Following her Roland Garros title, teenage Russian Mirra Andreeva took first place in the Race, pushing further ahead of Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina. There is no doubt it is a tight battle for the top spot, and this week could bring some movement.

Sabalenka and Rybakina are almost level in the Race, and both will have chances this week to take the lead if either of them wins the Berlin Ladies Open, taking advantage of the fact that Andreeva is not competing this week. In any case, the three players are clearly dominant in the Race and have their places virtually secured for Riyadh.

Also practically secured for the WTA Finals is Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, who sits in a comfortable fourth place and is still far from being threatened in the upper zone. The Rome Open champion has been one of the most consistent players this year and will make her grass-court debut in Berlin, where seven top-10 players will compete. The former WTA Finals champion will not need major results in the coming months to secure her ticket to the season-ending tournament in Riyadh.

From fifth place onwards, things tighten significantly, especially after both Jessica Pegula (5th) and Coco Gauff (6th) fell below expectations at the French Open. The leading American players are still positioned in qualification range for Riyadh, but several names are closing in.

Both need strong runs on grass if they do not want to lose ground in the Race and begin to risk their WTA Finals qualification.

Further back, two WTA 1000 champions — Marta Kostyuk (Madrid) and Karolina Muchova (Doha) — are the last players currently inside the top 8 qualifying positions for Riyadh. They remain in the top 8, but are closely followed by Victoria Mboko.

It is expected to be a tight battle between these three players for a spot in Riyadh, and whoever produces a stronger Wimbledon run will be able to breathe more comfortably as the season moves into its final US hard-court swing.

Among the standout winners of the week is Donna Vekic, who won her first WTA 500 title this Sunday after defeating Emma Raducanu in the final in straight sets.

The Croatian had only been ranked No. 61 a week ago, but is now inside the top 25 of the season Race. The former Wimbledon semifinalist shows that grass is a surface that particularly suits her game, and she will be a dangerous opponent at Wimbledon — especially considering she is not expected to be seeded. A player most will want to avoid.

Also progressing was Emma Raducanu, who had only managed to reach No. 79 a week ago but improves her season position to No. 45. After an inconsistent clay season, the Brit reached her third career final and second of the season. She is back in rhythm and still has several weeks on her preferred surface to continue adding points and building confidence ahead of upcoming challenges.

On the other hand, at the Libéma Open, the champion was American Robin Montgomery, who enters the top 100 of the Race for the first time, largely thanks to her strong grass-court campaign in the Netherlands.

She did not need to play the final after Barbora Krejcikova withdrew. The Czech player — former Wimbledon champion — still managed to pick up wins and confidence after months of injuries, and also secured her entry into the WTA Race top 100.