Canada’s Gabriel Diallo moved into the top 100 of the ATP Tour rankings for the first time Monday, rising 31 spots to No. 87 after reaching the final of the Almaty Open.
Diallo upset four top-100 players — including 21st-ranked Alejandro Tabilo of Chile and 30th-ranked Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina — to reach his first career ATP Tour final.
The 23-year-old from Montreal forced a decisive third set against 24th-ranked Karen Khachanov of Russia before dropping a 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 decision on Sunday.
Two other Canadians were in the top 100.
Felix Auger-Aliassime of Montreal rose two spots to No. 19 and Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., fell three positions to No. 95.
WATCH | Diallo falls to Khachanov in Almaty final on Sunday:
Canada’s Diallo fails to secure Almaty Open title with loss in final
Karen Khachanov defeated Montreal’s Gabriel Diallo 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 Sunday at the Almaty Open final in Kazakhstan.
Sabalenka reclaims WTA top ranking
U.S. Open champion Aryna Sabalenka is officially No. 1 in the WTA rankings again after ending Iga Swiatek’s 11-month reign.
Sabalenka led Swiatek by 41 points in the latest rankings published Monday, overturning a 69-point deficit from the week before, even though neither of the two played last week.
Instead, the Belarusian took back the No. 1 spot following “continuing year-end adjustments for falling short of certain tournament quotas,” the WTA said.
Sabalenka, who was previously top of the rankings from September through November last year, laid the groundwork for regaining the No. 1 spot when she won the Wuhan Open on Oct. 13.
See also Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s tough Bronx persona is under fresh scrutiny with a resurfaced childhood nickname from her suburban upstate New York upbringing casting doubt on that publicly portrayed image. The progressive champion’s latest spat with President Donald Trump over the Iran strikes again called into question her true upbringing when she declared on X she was a “Bronx girl" to make her a point against the president. The 35-year-old congresswoman wrote in part on X: "I’m a Bronx girl. You should know that we can eat Queens boys for breakfast. Respectfully," she said, referring to the president’s upbringing in Queens as she called for his impeachment over his decision to bypass Congress in authorizing U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Ocasio-Cortez was born in the Bronx but moved to Yorktown – which is nearly an hour outside New York City -- when she was 5 years old and went on to attend Yorktown High School where she graduated in 2007. She was considered an accomplished student there and well thought of by teacher Michael Blueglass, according to a 2018 report by local media outlet Halston Media News. “There, known by students and staff as ‘Sandy,’ she was a member of the Science Research Program taught by Michael Blueglass," the report states. “She was amazing," Blueglass said, per the report. “Aside from her winning one of the top spots and going to the [Intel International Science and Engineering Fair], she was just one of the most amazing presenters in all of the years I've been at Yorktown. Her ability to take complex information and explain it to all different levels of people was fantastic." After high school, Ocasio-Cortez attended Boston University, where she majored in economics and international relations, per the report. Ocasio-Cortez’s “Sandy" nickname — which carries a more suburban and preppy tone — appears to undercut her politically crafted image as a tough, inner-city fighter, one she has portrayed since her famous 2018 congressional campaign where she eventually ousted former 10-terms Congressman Joe Crowley. New York GOP Assemblyman Matt Slater, who now represents Yorktown, added to the scrutiny of Ocasio-Cortez’s persona in the wake of her brash with Trump and released images of Ocasio-Cortez from his high school yearbook. He claimed he and the rising Democratic star attended Yorktown High School at the same time when she was a freshman and he was a senior. "I saw the attacks on the president and her [Ocasio-Cortez] claims that she's a big, tough Bronx girl," said Slater. "To sit there and say that she’s a Bronx girl is just patently ridiculous." "Everybody in our community knows this is just a bold-face lie," said Slater on "Fox & Friends First" last week. "She grew up in Yorktown, she was on my track team." "She's lying about her background, she's lying about her upbringing," Slater claimed. Slater’s post sent social media ablaze and prompted Ocasio-Cortez to respond after an image if her family’s home was posted online. “I’m proud of how I grew up and talk about it all the time," Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X Friday responding to the post. “My mom cleaned houses and I helped. We cleaned tutors’ homes in exchange for SAT prep." “Growing up between the Bronx and Yorktown deeply shaped my views of inequality & it’s a big reason I believe the things I do today!"
Top-ranked Canadian Leylah Fernandez from Laval, Que., dropped one spot to No. 35, while North Vancouver’s Rebecca Marino climbed 18 positions to No. 118 in the world. Marina Stakusic and Bianca Andreescu, both from Mississauga, Ont., are ranked 140th and 159th, respectively
Swiatek has taken time out for a coaching change since she last played at the U.S. Open. Swiatek reached the quarterfinals before losing to Jessica Pegula, who was in turn beaten by Sabalenka in the final.
Sabalenka also defended her Australian Open title in January.
The next chance for Swiatek to regain the top spot is at the WTA Finals next month in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
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