Garbine Muguruza continues rise after Beijing triumph

Paris: Spain’s Garbine Muguruza rose to a career-high fourth in the WTA tennis rankings published on Monday, following her victory at the China Open on Sunday.

Muguruza, 22, beat Switzerland’s Timea Bacsinszky 7-5, 6-4 in Beijing to collect her second career title, a week after retiring from the Wuhan Open final due to exhaustion.

The Spaniard is just one point behind world number three Maria Sharapova, who withdrew from the China Open with a left forearm injury.

Bacsinszky also cracked the top 10 for the first time as she jumped up seven places from 17th, while Agnieszka Radwanska climbed two spots to sixth following her run to the last four in the Chinese capital.

WTA rankings on October 12:

1. Serena Williams (USA) 11,285 pts

2. Simona Halep (ROM) 6,580

3. Maria Sharapova (RUS) 4,691

4. Garbine Muguruza (ESP) 4,690 (+1)

5. Petra Kvitova (CZE) 3,860 (-1)

6. Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) 3,515 (+2)

7. Lucie Safarova (CZE) 3,405 (-1)

8. Flavia Pennetta (ITA) 3,372 (-1)

9. Angelique Kerber (GER) 3,330 (+1)

10. Timea Bacsinszky (SUI) 3,157 (+7)

11. Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) 3,151

12. Ana Ivanovic (SER) 3,145 (+3)

13. Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP) 3,075 (-1)

14. Venus Williams (USA) 2,982

15. Karolina Pliskova (CZE) 2,950 (-6)

16. Belinda Bencic (SUI) 2,900 (-3)

17. Roberta Vinci (ITA) 2,655 (-1)

18. Sara Errani (ITA) 2,525 (+2)

19. Madison Keys (USA) 2,495

20. Andrea Petkovic (GER) 2,445 (+1)