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Women's Power Rankings: Azarenka in top spot

Published Apr. 16, 2009 6:50 p.m. ET

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Women's tennis power rankings
Welcome to the first edition of our women's tennis Power Rankings. Every other week, we'll give you our list of the 10 best players of the moment. How does it work? While the official WTA rankings take the entire previous year into account, our rankings deal only with the last four events in which each player as participated. This is designed to create a better estimate of who is hot now by putting the emphasis on recent action. This week starts with a bang, as an unexpected player takes the top spot in the rankings. Disagree? Sound off in the comments section below. Enjoy! Rankings account for events completed prior to April 15.
Rank	Player	+/-	WTA	Fan	Last four	Comment
1	Victoria Azarenka	—	8	6	Miami: W Indian Wells: SF Memphis: W Australian Open: 3R	There is no hotter player on tour at the moment. She took the hard-court season by storm, and it will be interesting to see how she handles the European clay.
2	Serena Williams	—	1	1	Marbella: 1R Miami: F Dubai: SF Australian Open: W	Serena is about to lose her No. 1 ranking. After winning in Melbourne, her hard-court season has not been sparkling. She's hurt and limping into the clay season.
3	Vera Zvonareva	—	6	8	Miami: 3R Indian Wells: W Dubai: QF Thailand: W	Currently she's the best Russian in tennis. She's found success on the hard courts, laying low some considerable foes with steadfast determination.
4	Venus Williams	—	5	2	Miami: SF Acapulco: W Dubai: W Australian Open: 2R	Venus has been playing well of late, winning in Acapulco and in Dubai. She lost to her sister in Miami and was upset in the second round of the first major of '09.
5	Elena Dementieva	—	3	4	Miami: QF Indian Wells: 2R Dubai: QF Paris: F	She was having her way on tour at the start of the year with a 19-2 record. At the largest events of the hard-court season, however, she has been disappointing.
6	Ana Ivanovic	—	7	7	Miami: 3R Indian Wells: F Dubai: QF Australian Open: 3R	With the exception of a decent run at Indian Wells, Ivanovic continues to flounder trying to recapture the form that led her to win the French Open in June.
7	Dinara Safina	—	2	3	Miami: 3R Indian Wells: QF Dubai: 2R Australian Open: F	For the woman who is taking over the No. 1 ranking, Dinara's fire has been doused with cold water. The greater the expectations, the more she has faltered.
8	Caroline Wozniacki	—	12	N/A	Ponte Vedra: W Miami: QF Indian Wells: QF Memphis: F	Wozniacki is winning and making her presence felt at all levels of competition. The 18-year old does not shy away from any opponents. She is on the rise.
9	Jelena Jankovic	—	4	5	Marbella: W Miami: 2R Indian Wells: 2R Dubai: 3R	Except for this last event (at Marbella, on clay) Jankovic has pretty much been a non-factor on tour. If Ivanovic's game is missing, then Jankovic's is on leave.
10	Svetlana Kuznetsova	—	9	9	Miami: SF Indian Wells: 2R Dubai: 2R Australian Open: QF	It seems like she's been around forever but she is only 23. With nothing to lose, she must bring her experience to bear and impose her game on her foes.
Outside looking in	Fan Top 10
Agnieszka Radwanska Last four — Miami: 4R; Indian Wells: QF; Monterrey: 1R; Dubai: 1R After edging into the top 10 a year ago, Radwanska has plateaued. Clay may well prove to be a blessing and help her find her way back into the upper ranks. Zheng Jie Last four — Miami: 4R; Indian Wells: 2R; Monterrey: SF; Dubai: 3R The 25-year-old from China has reached her highest ranking in 2009. Recovering from an injury has slowed her, but Jie shows promise heading into the clay season.	1. Serena Williams — 7,211 points 2. Venus Williams — 3,737 3. Dinara Safina — 2,797 4. Elena Dementieva — 1,389 5. Jelena Jankovic — 1,166 6. Victoria Azarenka — 678 7. Ana Ivanovic — 615 8. Vera Zvonareva — 530 9. Svetlana Kuznetsova — 150 10. Nadia Petrova — 89 Fan voting explanation

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