Wow ! Did Shriver really say this?
Barty leaves egg all over American tennis icon’s face after extending rankings lead-
Ash Barty ain’t going nowhere, Pam.
The Australian Open champion remains on top of the newly-updated WTA rankings after saluting in front of her home crowd on Saturday night.
Barty has been the world’s number one ranked player for more than two years and will continue that streak well into 2022 despite a prediction from
US tennis icon Pam Shriver her days were numbered.
“I feel like Ash Barty, as great as she is, I don’t see her as being on top for 154 consecutive weeks,” Shriver said in early January. “She’s so solid, but I just think someone else is going to step up.”
Barty (8331 points) sits a whopping 2633 points clear of second-placed Aryna Sabalenka (5698) after improving on last year’s quarterfinal finish at Melbourne Park.
Barbora Krejcikova (5533) moved up one place into third after making her first Australian Open quarterfinal, while Iga Swiatek (4456) jumped five places to fourth after making the semis.
Garbine Muguruza, who Shriver tipped as the most likely to usurp Barty, took the biggest dive, falling four places to seventh after losing in the second round.
But that was nothing compared to the free-fall former world number one Naomi Osaka has undergone.
Last year’s Australian Open winner lost 1870 ranking points after losing in the third round and dropped 72 places to now sit 86th in the standings.
