Ben Shelton hits new career-high ranking of No. 5, just third lefty to be ranked in ATP Top 5 this century

There are a lot of shake-ups on the rankings today following the first Grand Slam event of the year, the Australian Open—and there’s some particularly good news for a pair of Americans.

First of all, Madison Keys has halved her ranking from No. 14 to No. 7 after capturing the first Grand Slam title of her career.

Not only is this her first time being inside the Top 10 since 2023, it’s actually a return to the career-high ranking she first set in 2016.

Coupled with her rise from No. 20 to No. 14 going into the Australian Open after winning the WTA 500-level lead-up title in Adelaide, Keys has now risen from No. 20 to No. 7 in just three weeks.

There are now four American women in the Top 10 this week: Coco Gauff (No. 3), Jessica Pegula (No. 6), Keys (No. 7) and Emma Navarro (No. 9). It’s the first time that’s happened since the week of November 4th, 2024, when there were also four: Gauff (No. 3), Pegula (No. 6), Navarro (No. 8) and Danielle Collins (No. 10).

Tommy Paul breaks into the Top 10 this week, joining countryman Taylor Fritz in the elite.

Advertising

Over on the ATP rankings, another American—Tommy Paul—makes his Top 10 debut, rising from No. 11 to No. 9 following his run to the quarterfinals in Melbourne. He’s now reached the quarterfinals or better at a major three years in a row, having made the semis of the Australian Open in 2023 and the quarters of Wimbledon in 2024.

He’s the fifth American man born in 1990 or later to break into the Top 10, and the third born in 1995 or later to do it.

AMERICAN MEN BORN IN 1990 OR LATER TO REACH TOP 10:
~ Jack Sock, born '92 [career-high No. 8 in '17]
~ Taylor Fritz, born '97 [career-high No. 4 in '24]
~ Frances Tiafoe, born '98 [career-high No. 10 in '23]
~ Tommy Paul, born '97 [career-high No. 9 in '25]

And with Fritz currently ranked No. 4, this is the first time two American men are in the Top 10 together since the two weeks of the 2023 US Open, when Fritz was No. 9 and Tiafoe was No. 10.

Yulia Putintseva, who makes her Top 20 debut this week, is a three-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist in her career—twice at Roland Garros in 2016 and 2018 and once at the US Open in 2020.

Advertising

There are several other notable ranking moves this week, too.

Firstly, on the ATP rankings: American Alex Michelsen breaks into the Top 40, rising from No. 42 to No. 36, after reaching the fourth round in Melbourne; another American, teenager Learner Tien, makes his Top 100 debut after also reaching the fourth round, soaring from No. 121 to No. 80; and Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca cracks the Top 100 too, rising from No. 112 to No. 99 after a second-round showing, recording his first Top 10 win in the first round over Andrey Rublev.

And with Paul bumping Grigor Dimitrov out of the Top 10, we’re back to having no one-handed backhands in the ATP Top 10, after it happened for the first time ever around this time last year.

On the WTA rankings: Paula Badosa returns to the Top 10 for the first time since 2022, rising from No. 12 to No. 10 after reaching her first major semifinal in Melbourne; Yulia Putintseva rises from No. 23 to No. 20, her Top 20 debut, after a third-round showing; Serbia’s Olga Danilovic breaks into the Top 50, rising from No. 55 to No. 41, after a fourth-round showing; American Ashlyn Krueger cracks the Top 50, rising from No. 52 to No. 50; and Germany’s Eva Lys soars into the Top 100 for the first time, from No. 128 to No. 91, after reaching the fourth round as a lucky loser, ultimately falling to Iga Swiatek.

For Putintseva, the Top 20 is where she most certainly belongs—the Kazakh has 37 wins in her career against Top 20 players.

And last but certainly not least, Taylor Townsend makes her Top 3 debut on the WTA doubles rankings, rising from No. 5 to No. 3 after capturing her second Grand Slam doubles title in the last seven months with Katerina Siniakova at the Australian Open.

Advertising