The number one ranking is up for grabs and no one seems to want it, so by default, Angelique Kerber continues to be the number one ranked female player. Simona Halep could have dislodged her if she had won the French Open on June 10th. Halep won the first set 6-4, and was up 3-0 in the second set only to lose that set. After that she never looked convinced that she could wrestle control back from Jelena Ostapenko and she lost the match 6-4, 4-6, 3-6. She would have to wait a tad longer to become number one.
One hundred and fifteen points is the difference between Kerber and Halep. Kerber has only made it to one final this season and she lost that to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. She lost in the fourth round of the Australian Open and was easily dismissed in the first round of the French Open. Can she use Wimbledon to get back on track?
Despite losing in the first round of the Australian Open, Halep has had a much better 2017 season than Kerber. She won Madrid (a Premier Mandatory event), lost in the final of Rome (a Premier 5 event) and was favored to win Roland Garros; however, Halep does not handle the pressure of expectation well. Win the French Open and she would have in addition to her first Major title, the number one ranking; however, she faltered.
Halep won the first set 7-5 in today’s quarterfinal match against Caroline Wozniacki, she was up 3-0 in the second set and she lost the match 7-5, 4-6, 1-6. An almost identical collapse happened after she looked certain to win the match and claim the number one ranking. Thus, once again, she will have to wait a tad longer to claim the number one ranking for the first time in her career.
SOURCE OF IMAGE: Zimbio
