The European red-clay season on the Hologic WTA Tour began last week. Jelena Ostapenko won her ninth career title at the WTA 500 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, and Elina Svitolina secured her 18th trophy at the WTA 250 Open Rouen Capfinances Métropole event.

Ostapenko began 2025 ranked No. 17, but her ranking dropped to No. 37 in February after some early losses. However, the Latvian player bounced back by reaching the final in Doha and continued her strong performance in Stuttgart. In Stuttgart, Ostapenko defeated World No. 2 Iga Swiatek (for the sixth time in their six matches) and World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka (for the first time in four meetings). This was Ostapenko`s second clay-court title and her first since winning Roland Garros in 2017, which was also her first career title.

This week, Ostapenko re-enters the Top 20, moving up six places to No. 18.

Interestingly, this year Ostapenko has a perfect record against Top 10 players (4-0) but a losing record against players outside the Top 10 (8-9).

For Svitolina, the Rouen title marks her second title since returning from maternity leave, both won on French clay (Strasbourg 2023 being the other). The Ukrainian player now has an impressive 18-4 record in finals and moves up one position to No. 17 in the rankings.

Danilovic Reaches Career-High Ranking After Rouen Final

Olga Danilovic first entered the Top 100 in September 2018 at age 17, shortly after winning the Moscow River Cup in her WTA main-draw debut. However, she only stayed there for five weeks before dropping out, and it took her another five years to return.

The last year has been Danilovic`s most consistent period. This time, she has maintained her momentum, climbing even higher in the rankings. The 24-year-old reached the fourth round of her first two Grand Slam events (Roland Garros last year and the Australian Open in January), won her second title in Guangzhou last October, and reached her fourth tour-level final last week in Rouen.

This Rouen final appearance extended Danilovic`s winning streak to nine matches (including the WTA 125 title in Antalya earlier this month) before losing to Svitolina in a close final. She rises five places to a career-best No. 34 this week.

Navarro Back in Top 10, Rybakina Drops Out

Emma Navarro re-enters the Top 10 after a brief dip. The American player climbs one spot to No. 10 after reaching the second round in Stuttgart.

Navarro and Elena Rybakina exchange places, as Rybakina, who did not defend her Stuttgart title from 2024, falls one place to No. 11. The former Wimbledon champion is now outside the Top 10 for the first time since January 2023.

Seidel and Rakotomanga Rajaonah Shine on Home Soil

Two players born in 2005 achieved notable results at home last week. In Stuttgart, 20-year-old German Ella Seidel entered as a lucky loser and fought her way to the second round, defeating veteran compatriot Tatjana Maria in three sets. Seidel, who has reached three WTA 250 quarterfinals in the last nine months, jumps 13 places to a new career high of No. 111.

Two weeks prior, Varvara Gracheva became the only French player in the Top 100, a 44-year low. However, 19-year-old Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah`s impressive run in Rouen offered encouragement. The French player qualified for the main draw, marking her WTA debut. She then achieved her first two Top 100 victories against Lucia Bronzetti and Jaqueline Cristian to reach the quarterfinals before losing to Suzan Lamens.

Rakotomanga Rajaonah, ranked No. 574 a year ago, leaps 45 places from No. 291 to a new career high of No. 245 this week. The next highest-ranked French teenager, Astrid Lew Yan Foon, is at No. 490.

Other Notable Rankings Movements

Mayar Sherif, +11 to No. 50: Sherif, who had a poor 2-8 season record entering last week, gained a significant boost by winning the Madrid ITF W100 as the top seed without dropping a set. She returns to the Top 50 for the first time since November 2023.

Katie Volynets, +10 to No. 70: The American player reached her second WTA 125 final last week in Oeiras.

Dalma Galfi, +28 to No. 121: Galfi from Hungary won the Oeiras WTA 125 title, the biggest of her career, at the Portuguese clay-court event. She has won nine of her last 10 matches at the WTA 125 level, having been a runner-up in La Bisbal d`Empordà in early April.

Jana Fett, +24 to No. 129: In 2017, Fett achieved her first Top 20 win against Kristina Mladenovic in Tokyo. Eight years later, the former No. 97 gained her second Top 20 victory against Donna Vekic to reach the Stuttgart second round.

Jessika Ponchet, +11 to No. 135: Ponchet became the second Frenchwoman to reach the quarterfinals in Rouen, marking her first WTA quarterfinal.

Iryna Shymanovich, +29 to No. 174: Shymanovich won her first ITF title since 2022 at the Zephyrhills W50 in Florida last week.

Tessah Andrianjafitrimo, +33 to No. 208: Last week was successful for French players of Malagasy descent. Andrianjafitrimo reached the Calvi ITF W75 final and is back to her highest ranking since July 2022.

Sofia Costoulas, +48 to No. 212: Costoulas from Belgium, the 2022 Australian Open girls` finalist and former junior No. 2, won the Calvi ITF W75 title, her biggest professional title to date, pushing her to a new career high.

Julia Grabher, +56 to No. 238: Grabher, a former No. 54, claimed her biggest title since returning from wrist surgery, winning the Koper ITF W75 as a qualifier and defeating top seed Arantxa Rus for her first Top 100 win since 2023.

Camilla Rosatello, +37 to No. 251: The Italian player qualified in Rouen and then upset Alycia Parks in the first round for her third Top 100 win.

Caty McNally, +37 to No. 287: Exactly a year after dropping out of the Top 300 due to elbow surgery, McNally is back inside it after reaching the Zephyrhills ITF W50 final.

Ekaterine Gorgodze, +60: Gorgodze reached her first ITF W75 final since 2022 as a qualifier in Koper last week. She reached her career high of No. 108 in May 2022.