08.21.2005:Sharapova Top Ranked Female Tennis Player
Monday, August 22, 2005 at 18:40 Sharapova on top of WTA rankings
TORONTO (CP) - Belgium's Kim Clijsters jumped four places to No. 4 in the WTA rankings after her win at the Rogers Cup.
Clijsters helped dump fellow Belgian Justine Henin-Hardenne to No. 7 in the process. Henin-Hardenne, who lost Sunday's final, came into the $1.3-million US tournament ranked No. 5.
Russia's Maria Sharapova moved into top spot at the expense of American Lindsay Davenport, now No. 2. France's Amelie Mauresmo, a semifinalist loser in Toronto, remained at No. 3 while Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova slipped one place to No. 5.
Sharapova, 18, became the first Russian to ascend to top spot and is just the 15th No. 1 in the 20-year history of the WTA Tour rankings.
"I know there is a lot of responsibility that comes along with being No. 1," Sharapova said. "And I want to represent women's tennis with the same class and style as the other great players, like Steffi Graf, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Monica Seles, Lindsay and the others."
