Venus Williams, left, and Serena Williams. AP FILE PHOTO
PARIS — Venus Williams’ victory in the Zhuhai Masters in China over the weekend sees her climb from 11th to seventh in the latest WTA standings dominated by her sister Serena.
At 35-years-old Venus thereby becomes the oldest woman to have featured in the WTA top 10 since Martina Navratilova, who was 38-years-old in 1995.
The five-time Wimbledon and two-time Flushing Meadows champion is a former WTA rankings leader, a position she last held back in February 2002.
Towering over her rivals atop the rankings by a wide margin stands the younger of the Williams sisters Serena, 34, with a whopping 9,945 points, while Romania’s Simona Helep is second on 6,060 and Spain’s Garbine Muguruza on 5,200.
The beaten finalist at Zhuhai, Karolina Pliskova, also climbed two places with the Czech clinching 11th place.
Latest WTA rankings
1. Serena Williams (USA) 9,945 pts
2. Simona Halep (ROM) 6,060
3. Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP) 5,200
4. Maria Sharapova (RUS) 5,011
5. Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) 4,500
6. Petra Kvitova (CZE) 4,220
7. Venus Williams (USA) 3,790 (+4)
8. Flavia Pennetta (ITA) 3,621 (-1)
9. Lucie Safarova (CZE) 3,590 (-1)
10. Angelique Kerber (GER) 3,590 (-1)
11. Karolina Pliskova (CZE) 3,285 (+2)
12. Timea Bacsinszky (SUI) 3,133 (-2)
13. Carla Suárez Navarro (ESP) 3,030 (-1)
14. Belinda Bencic (SUI) 2,900
15. Roberta Vinci (ITA) 2,655
16. Ana Ivanovic (SER) 2,645
17. Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) 2,641
18. Madison Keys (USA) 2,600 (+1)
19. Elina Svitolina (UKR) 2,590 (+1)
20. Sara Errani (ITA) 2,525 (-2)
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