Ajla Tomljanovic is back on the brink of a comeback milestone following the Korea Open, as Talia Gibson hits new heights in Perth.
Melbourne, 24 September 2024 | Dan Imhoff
Women’s singles
Ajla Tomljanovic is on the cusp of a return to the top 100 for the first time in more than a year after climbing 15 places in the latest world rankings.
The 31-year-old scored a hard-fought three-hour win over South Korea’s Jang Su-jeong at the Korea Open before she fell to eventual champion and third seed Beatriz Haddad Maia in the round of 16.
It was the former world No.32’s first event since a second-round US Open defeat to Elise Mertens and lifted her to world No.107.
Tomljanovic has not featured in the top 100 since August last year largely owing to multiple surgeries that have kept her sidelined.
Talia Gibson continued her rapid ascent following a second successive Perth W75 ITF title in her home city.
The 20-year-old won her ninth straight match for her seventh ITF singles title, which bumped her up 14 spots to a career-best world No.129.
| AUSSIE TOP 10 | ||
| Player | Rank | Move |
| Olivia Gadecki | No.84 | +4 |
| Daria Saville | No.99 | +4 |
| Ajla Tomljanovic | No.107 | +15 |
| Maya Joint | No.113 | +1 |
| Arina Rodionova | No.114 | +1 |
| Talia Gibson | No.129 | +14 |
| Taylah Preston | No.139 | +1 |
| Kimberly Birrell | No.146 | +2 |
| Destanee Aiava | No.180 | -3 |
| Maddison Inglis | No.184 | +15 |
Men’s singles
A sixth career ATP quarterfinal at the Hangzhou Open ensured Rinky Hijikata climbed five places to world No.76 this week.
The 23-year-old, who scored a win over former world No.23 Damir Dzumhur, fell to fourth seed Brandon Nakashima in his fifth tour-level quarterfinal this season.
Omar Jasika’s fourth straight ITF title at the Darwin International 2 event extended his winning streak to 22 and boosted his ranking 13 places to world No.213, nine spots shy of his best mark.
| AUSSIE TOP 10 | ||
| Player | Rank | Move |
| Alex de Minaur | No.11 | 0 |
| Alexei Popyrin | No.23 | +1 |
| Jordan Thompson | No.29 | 0 |
| James Duckworth | No.72 | -1 |
| Rinky Hijikata | No.76 | +5 |
| Thanasi Kokkinakis | No.78 | 0 |
| Chris O’Connell | No.79 | -4 |
| Max Purcell | No.89 | 0 |
| Aleksandar Vukic | No.90 | +2 |
| Adam Walton | No.95 | -1 |
Women’s doubles
Maya Joint has moved to within three places of her highest doubles ranking after she climbed two spots this week.
The 18-year-old did not play last week but has risen to world No.210.
Alexandra Osborne and Alicia Smith made big jumps after they combined to reach the semifinals at the Perth W75 ITF event. Osborne rose 19 places to world No.308 while Smith leapt 44 spots to world No.361.
| AUSSIE TOP 10 | ||
| Player | Rank | Move |
| Ellen Perez | No.11 | -1 |
| Storm Hunter | No.22 | -6 |
| Olivia Gadecki | No.81 | +1 |
| Destanee Aiava | No.146 | -10 |
| Kimberly Birrell | No.165 | -2 |
| Maddison Inglis | No.176 | -18 |
| Talia Gibson | No.188 | -5 |
| Daria Saville | No.195 | -5 |
| Maya Joint | No.210 | +2 |
| Alana Parnaby | No.248 | -6 |
Men’s doubles
Hijikata’s solid week in Hangzhou included a run to the doubles semifinals after he and American Mackenzie McDonald landed a win over Australian John Peers and Brit Jamie Murray.
The Australian Open 2023 champion moved up one place to World No.50.
Calum Puttergill climbed three places to world No.142 after he and fellow Aussie Patrick Harper reached the semifinals of the Columbus Challenger in the United States.
| AUSSIE TOP 10 | ||
| Player | Rank | Move |
| Matt Ebden | No.5 | 0 |
| Jordan Thompson | No.7 | 0 |
| Max Purcell | No.8 | 0 |
| Rinky Hijikata | No.50 | +1 |
| John Peers | No.56 | 0 |
| John-Patrick Smith | No.59 | +1 |
| Matthew Romios | No.98 | +1 |
| Calum Puttergill | No.142 | +3 |
| Thomas Fancutt | No.144 | -4 |
| Luke Saville | No.147 | +2 |
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