By Nick Georgandis
Maria Kirilenko translated her Pattaya City title into a two-step jump in the latest WTA rankings, rising to No. 13 in the world this week. Off to a 9-2 start to the 2013 campaign, Kirilenko jumped over Ana Ivanovic and Dominka Cibulkova in the process.
The Top 10 remained as is two weeks after the conclusion of the Australian Open, but big surge in the Top 50 came from Germany’s Mona Barthel.
Barthel won the title at Paris, upsetting three players in the Top 20, including No. 10 Marion Bartoli and No. 7 Sara Errani, and leapt from 45th to 28th in the process with the 470-point, $117,000 payday.
Despite a first-round loss at the Australian Open, Barthel is 12-3 to start the 2013 campaign. The 22-year-old, who at 6-feet, 1-inch is one of the tallest players on tour, is in the Top 30 for the first time ever after reaching No. 31 last April.
ATP
A pair of young gunners moved up the charts in the latest ATP rankings this week, as Marin Cilic climbed to No. 12 and Milos Raonic to No. 13.
The 24-year-old Cilic, fresh off a 2-0 singles record in Davis Cup action against Italy, is 5-2 to start the season. The 22-year-old Raonic is also 5-2 and won twice in Canada's colossal upset of Spain in the Davis Cup.
The biggest drop in the Top 100 was Slovakia's Lukas Lacko, who plunged from 49th to 74th. Lacko was idle last week after reaching the Zagreb finals at the end of January in 2012.