Spoiler:
Such has been the domination of Serena Williams in recent times that the 34-year-old will have held the world No. 1 ranking for a staggering 172 consecutive weeks when the second week gets underway at Roland-Garros.
But the second-longest streak in WTA history could come to an end here with Agnieszka Radwanska and Angelique Kerber both in with a chance of overtaking the American if they were to embark on a deep run.
If reigning champion Williams loses before the final, it could leave the door open for second seed Radwanska, who is defending just 10 first-round points. A Williams loss before the semi-finals also gives Kerber – defending 130 third-round points – a chance, with there being three potential scenarios in which there can be a change at the top of the rankings.
If Radwanska were to win the title and Williams was knocked out in the semi-finals or earlier, the 27-year-old Pole would become world No. 1 for the first time in her career. An appearance in the final may also be good enough for her if Williams lost before the third round and Kerber did not win the title.
Radwanska arrives here at Roland Garros, though, with just two wins on the clay this year, both coming in Stuttgart when she reached the semi-finals. Her appearance in Madrid lasted just one match as she lost to Dominika Cibulkova in three sets and she did not compete in Rome.
It would take some effort to better her best performance here of a quarter-final in 2013. Radwanska opens against Serbian Bojana Jovanovski and could face home hope Caroline Garcia in the second round. Other potential opponents include Barbora Strycova in the third round, 2012 Roland Garros runner-up Sara Errani in the last 16 and 2014 runner-up Simona Halep in the last eight.
Kerber claimed one of the great upsets in January when she beat Williams to win her maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open. Another championship victory here and a loss for Williams before the semi-finals would see the 28-year-old German reach the top spot.
Kerber comes here with a clay title under her belt this year after winning Stuttgart last month, although consecutive defeats to Strycova in Madrid and Eugenie Bouchard in Rome followed.
Like Radwanska, Kerber’s best run here was a quarter-final appearance in 2012. This year she plays the Netherlands’ Kiki Bertens in the first-round and could face a potentially tricky encounter with Italian Camila Giorgi in the second round. Russian rising star Daria Kasatkina and Rome finalist Madison Keys are other potential obstacles before even reaching the last eight.
If Williams does retain her No. 1 spot come the end of this fortnight, the 34-year-old will move another week closer to beating the record of the great Steffi Graf, who spent 186 consecutive weeks at No. 1 from August 1987 to March 1991. It would arguably be one of the greatest achievements in the history of the sport.
Player ranking points totals
(Depending on round reached at Roland-Garros)
R1 R2 R3 R4 QF SF F W
Williams 7040 7100 7160 7270 7460 7810 8330 9030
Radwanska 5850 5910 5970 6080 6270 6620 7140 7840
Kerber 5620 5680 5740 5850 6040 6390 6910 7610
Scenarios
> Radwanska becomes No. 1 if she wins the title and Williams loses before the final
> Radwanska becomes No. 1 if she reaches the final, Williams loses before the third-round and Kerber does not win the title
> Kerber becomes No. 1 if she wins the title and Serena loses before the semi-final
But the second-longest streak in WTA history could come to an end here with Agnieszka Radwanska and Angelique Kerber both in with a chance of overtaking the American if they were to embark on a deep run.
If reigning champion Williams loses before the final, it could leave the door open for second seed Radwanska, who is defending just 10 first-round points. A Williams loss before the semi-finals also gives Kerber – defending 130 third-round points – a chance, with there being three potential scenarios in which there can be a change at the top of the rankings.
If Radwanska were to win the title and Williams was knocked out in the semi-finals or earlier, the 27-year-old Pole would become world No. 1 for the first time in her career. An appearance in the final may also be good enough for her if Williams lost before the third round and Kerber did not win the title.
Radwanska arrives here at Roland Garros, though, with just two wins on the clay this year, both coming in Stuttgart when she reached the semi-finals. Her appearance in Madrid lasted just one match as she lost to Dominika Cibulkova in three sets and she did not compete in Rome.
It would take some effort to better her best performance here of a quarter-final in 2013. Radwanska opens against Serbian Bojana Jovanovski and could face home hope Caroline Garcia in the second round. Other potential opponents include Barbora Strycova in the third round, 2012 Roland Garros runner-up Sara Errani in the last 16 and 2014 runner-up Simona Halep in the last eight.
Kerber claimed one of the great upsets in January when she beat Williams to win her maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open. Another championship victory here and a loss for Williams before the semi-finals would see the 28-year-old German reach the top spot.
Kerber comes here with a clay title under her belt this year after winning Stuttgart last month, although consecutive defeats to Strycova in Madrid and Eugenie Bouchard in Rome followed.
Like Radwanska, Kerber’s best run here was a quarter-final appearance in 2012. This year she plays the Netherlands’ Kiki Bertens in the first-round and could face a potentially tricky encounter with Italian Camila Giorgi in the second round. Russian rising star Daria Kasatkina and Rome finalist Madison Keys are other potential obstacles before even reaching the last eight.
If Williams does retain her No. 1 spot come the end of this fortnight, the 34-year-old will move another week closer to beating the record of the great Steffi Graf, who spent 186 consecutive weeks at No. 1 from August 1987 to March 1991. It would arguably be one of the greatest achievements in the history of the sport.
Player ranking points totals
(Depending on round reached at Roland-Garros)
R1 R2 R3 R4 QF SF F W
Williams 7040 7100 7160 7270 7460 7810 8330 9030
Radwanska 5850 5910 5970 6080 6270 6620 7140 7840
Kerber 5620 5680 5740 5850 6040 6390 6910 7610
Scenarios
> Radwanska becomes No. 1 if she wins the title and Williams loses before the final
> Radwanska becomes No. 1 if she reaches the final, Williams loses before the third-round and Kerber does not win the title
> Kerber becomes No. 1 if she wins the title and Serena loses before the semi-final
