Barty makes it three years in a row as No.1
Australian tennis star Ash Barty finished the season as world No.1 for the third consecutive year, the WTA announced.
The WTA announced that Ashleigh Barty and Katerina Siniakova have secured the 2021 WTA Year-End No.1 Singles and Doubles Rankings.
This is the third year in a row that Barty has finished the season in the top spot, and she is the 14th player overall to earn the WTA Year-End No.1 singles ranking accolade. The week of 15 November marks the Australian’s 102nd week as the WTA World No.1, a position she first reached on 25 June, 2019.
Barty joins Stefanie Graf, Martina Navratilova, Serena Williams and Chris Evert as the only players to finish as year-end No.1 for three consecutive years, and her 95 consecutive weeks as the WTA World No.1 is the fifth longest streak in WTA history.
Siniakova, from the Czech Republic, has also finished in the No.1 position before, having ended 2018 co-ranked doubles No.1 with regular partner Barbora Krejcikova. The Czech duo first achieved the No.1 ranking together on 22 October, 2018 and this week marks Siniakova’s 34th week overall in the top spot.
"Ashleigh and Katerina have enjoyed incredible seasons and I am delighted to see them earn the WTA Year-End No.1 Rankings," Steve Simon, WTA chairman and chief executive, said.
"The WTA Tour this year has involved over 50 events in nearly 30 countries, and to finish the season in the No.1 position is an incredible achievement and highly deserved following their hard-work, passion and dedication to the game."
Barty has enjoyed another impressive season across 2021 having won five titles, including winning her second grand slam, at Wimbledon, and defending her title at the Miami Open.
She lifted additional silverware at the Yarra Valley Classic in Melbourne, her first tournament played since February 2020, the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart and the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. Barty also posted a runner-up finish at the Mutua Madrid Open, going 42-8 in 2021 and with 6411 points won the Porsche Race to the WTA Finals.
Siniakova has earned her second year-end No.1 finish having won five WTA doubles titles this season. Partnering Barbora Krejcikova, the Czech duo triumphed at the Gippsland Trophy in Melbourne, the Mutua Madrid Open, Roland-Garros and most recently the AKRON WTA Finals Guadalajara, while Siniakova also teamed-up with Jelena Ostapenko to win the VTB Kremlin Cup in Moscow. Krejcikova and Siniakova also picked up the gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
