Sydney: Japan's Naomi Osaka is back on number one spot in the WTA rankings after Australia's Ash Barty's shocking exit at the second round of the Canadian Open.
The 23-year-old Barty has been a consistent performer over the past year, culminating in her maiden Grand Slam title at the French Open back in June. However, her fourth-round exit at Wimbledon and a shock second-round loss to American Sofia Kenin 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 6-4 at the Canadian Open in Toronto on Tuesday meant the door was open for Osaka to regain her number one status.
Taking on Tatjana Maria in Toronto on Thursday, Osaka won the first set of the tournament's round of 32-match 6-2, before her German opponent retired from the contest with an injury.
But the two-time Grand Slam Champion's position at the top of the rankings could be short-lived with Czech hitter Karolina Pliskova breathing down the necks of both Osaka and Barty.
A strong run in the tournament could see the 27-year-old leap-frog the pair of Osaka and Barty and pick up the number one ranking for the second time in her career.
