Halep returns to second despite Doha final defeat

SIMONA Halep reclaimed second place in the WTA rankings yesterday after her run to the Qatar Open final, while Doha champion Elise Mertens climbed back into the top 20.

Halep moved up a spot as Australian Open runner-up Petra Kvitova dropped two places to fourth, with Sloane Stephens matching her career-best of third despite not playing since losing in the last 16 in Melbourne. Naomi Osaka remains top of the standings, while Serena Williams returned to the top 10 for the first time since July 2017. Mertens rose to 16th after the Belgian rallied from a set down to beat Halep 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 on Sunday to claim the biggest title of her career. Among men, Stan Wawrinka returned to the top 50 yesterday for the first time since last year’s French Open after his run to the final in Rotterdam. The 33-year-old Swiss was beaten in three sets by Gael Monfils, though, with the Frenchman climbing 10 spots to 23rd. Wawrinka sits 41st in the rankings after a rise of 27 places.