Ashleigh Barty and Naomi Osaka won’t just be playing for the title at the 2021 French Open. Something big could happen at the top of the world rankings too.
Currently, Ashleigh Barty’s lead in the women’s world rankings seems to be quite comfortable. The Aussie is 2714 points ahead of World No. 2, Naomi Osaka, due to the fact that 2000 of Barty’s points came from her victory at the French Open two years ago.
Osaka, who, like Barty, was missing in Paris last year, only reached the third round in 2019 and thus only has 130 points to defend. If you subtract the French Open results of the two currently best players, which are currently included in the ranking, before the start of this year’s edition, Barty’s lead over Osaka is 844 points.
Osaka needs to reach the finals
As a result, the Australian would definitely stay at the top of the world rankings if she reached the finals in the French capital. On the other hand, Osaka needs at least that to replace the 25-year-old. Should Barty reach the semi-finals, Osaka would have to win the French Open.