New career-high ranking for Volynets after W100 triumph in Palm Harbor

USA’s Katie Volynets overcame China’s Wang Xiyu 6-4 6-3 in the final of W100 Palm Harbor to move up to a career-high ranking of No. 119 and is now in pole position in the USTA’s Roland Garros Wild Card Challenge.

The American, who picked up the second title of her career in Innisbrook last week, said she had enjoyed her time at the ITF Women’s World Tennis Tour event and was already looking forward to coming back next year.

“I wanted to thank all of the staff and the volunteers and the tournament director, Scott [Mitchell], for putting on a wonderful tournament,” she said. “I had a blast this week. All the people were so kind to me, and I can’t wait to be back here.”

Palm Harbor is the first W100 event of 2022, with two more set to be staged in the US over the next three weeks. W100 Charleston is just around the corner on 25 April-1 May, before W100 Bonita Springs takes place on 2-8 May.

There are also two European clay court tournaments, W100 La Bisbal (Spain) and W100 Wiesbaden (Germany) both increasing prize money from 2021, before two W100s in Great Britain in Ilkley and Surbiton, which form part of the grass court lead-up to Wimbledon.

As a result of her victory last week, 20-year-old Volynets replaces CoCo Vandeweghe in top spot on the USTA’s Roland Garros Wild Card Challenge leader board.

The women’s wild card will be awarded to the American with the most ranking points earned at a maximum of three clay-court tournaments during a five-week window, which runs through May 2.

Elsewhere on the ITF Women’s World Tennis Tour, Cypriot Raluca Georgiana Serban scored the biggest win of her career by defeating Ekaterina Gorgodze to win the title at W60 Bellinzona in Switzerland.

Qualifier Serban overcame No. 4 seed Anna Blinkova in the semi-finals 6-4 6-0 before taking out top seed Gorgodze 6-3 6-0.

Click here for full results from the ITF Women’s World Tennis Tour