Tiafoe Moves To Career-High, Mover Of The Week

RISERS

No. 30 (Career High) Frances Tiafoe, +9
This time last year, Tiafoe had never reached a tour-level quarter-final. But not only has the American done so four times since, also winning his maiden ATP Tour title at Delray Beach, he made the last eight in Melbourne. Tiafoe sprung upsets against fifth seed Kevin Anderson and 2017 Nitto ATP Finals champion Grigor Dimitrov to earn 360 ATP Ranking points, the most he has gained in a single event in his career. The #NextGenATP star is not only at a career-high No. 30, but he is now also the second-ranked American man.

No. 12 (Career High) Stefanos Tsitsipas, +3
After last year’s Australian Open, Tsitsipas was No. 83 in the ATP Rankings, holding just six tour-level wins. But in the past fortnight, the reigning Next Gen ATP Finals champion came within one victory of cracking the Top 10 for the first time. The 20-year-old Tsitsipas advanced to his first Grand Slam championship semi-final, upsetting six-time titlist Roger Federer along the way. If last year’s Stockholm winner would have found a way to beat Rafael Nadal in the last four, he would have jumped two more spots in the Rankings.

No. 17 Lucas Pouille, +14
The Frenchman had never won an Australian Open match prior to arriving to the season’s first Grand Slam, and he was also carrying a four-match losing streak overall. It’s safe to say expectations were not as high as they’ve been for Pouille. But no matter. Like Tsitsipas, Pouille battled to his first major semi-final, returning to the Top 20. Even though he lost to eventual champion Novak Djokovic, Pouille found his form at the perfect time. Last February, the Frenchman triumphed in Montpellier and reached the final in Marseille and Dubai, giving him 700 ATP Ranking points to defend during that stretch.

No. 18 Roberto Bautista Agut, +6
The Spaniard got his season off to the perfect start, lifting the trophy in Doha. And Bautista Agut did not stop there, beating former World No. 1 Andy Murray, in-form Russian Karen Khachanov and 2018 runner-up Marin Cilic en route to his maiden Grand Slam quarter-final. Bautista Agut had previously played in the main draw at 24 majors, making the fourth round nine times. But the 30-year-old finally broke through in Melbourne this year, forcing Tsitsipas into a fourth set before bowing out in the quarter-finals. While the season is young, Bautista Agut is tied for the second-most wins on the ATP Tour thus far at 9-1.

No. 40 (Career High) Taylor Fritz, +10
The other American to qualify for the 2018 Next Gen ATP Finals, Fritz, also enjoyed a strong fortnight at the Australian Open. Fritz lost in the first round at Melbourne Park in 2016-17, but he did not let that happen again this year. The 21-year-old avenged an Auckland defeat against Cameron Norrie, and then ousted former Top 10 player Gael Monfils in the second round. Six-time champion Roger Federer proved too much of a challenge for Fritz, but he gained invaluable experience in his third-round loss against the Swiss that will surely help moving forward. The American then traveled to Newport Beach, California, where he retained his ATP Challenger Tour crown (his fifth overall).  Fritz ascends to a career-high No. 40 in the ATP Rankings, making him the fourth-ranked American man.

No. 44 (Career High) Pierre-Hugues Herbert, +11
It was a strong week in Melbourne in more ways than one for the Frenchman. Herbert cracked the Top 50 in the ATP Rankings for one week last October, but he is now up to a career-high No. 44. The 27-year-old defeated former World No. 11 Sam Querrey and 2018 Australian Open semi-finalist Hyeon Chung to reach the third round in singles at the event for the second time. But that’s not all. Herbert and Nicolas Mahut completed their Career Grand Slam in doubles, battling to the title. The four-time Nitto ATP Finals qualifiers have now lifted the trophy at all four Grand Slams.

FALLERS

No. 6 Roger Federer, -3
The Swiss superstar, who was a two-time defending champion at Melbourne Park, suffered a fourth-round loss to Tsistsipas and with the 2,000 points he was defending, dropped three places to No. 6. It is his lowest position since being No. 6 on 20 March 2017.

No. 29 Kyle Edmund, -15
The 24-year-old, who became the sixth British man in the Open Era to reach the Australian Open semi-finals last year (l. to Cilic), came into the first Grand Slam championship of 2019 with a left knee concern and lost to the experienced Tomas Berdych in the first round.

No. 50 Hyeon Chung, -25
The South Koren, who lifted the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals trophy in 2017, had his ATP Ranking cut in half, dropping out of the Top 30 for the first time in 12 months as a result of falling to Pierre-Hugues Herbert in the Australian Open second round.

No. 67 Nick Kyrgios, -15
The former World No. 14, who picked up his fourth ATP Tour trophy at the Brisbane International (d. Harrison) and reached the Australian Open fourth round (l. to Dimitrov) in January 2018, went 1-2 in January 2019, culminating in a Melbourne first-round exit to Milos Raonic in straight sets. In dropping 15 places to No. 67 in the ATP Rankings, it’s his lowest position since 4 August 2014 (No. 80).

No. 75 Tennys Sandgren, -34
Twelve months ago, the American came into the Australian Open at No. 97 in the ATP Rankings, and left as a quarter-finalist – having beaten Top 10 stars Stan Wawrinka and Dominic Thiem – at a career-high No. 55. Sandgren won his first ATP Tour title at the ASB Classic in Auckland (d. Norrie) two weeks ago, moving to a career-high No. 41, but a first-round exit in Melbourne to Yoshito Nishioka saw him drop back to No. 75.

No. 79 Tomas Berdych, -22
The former World No. 4, who missed the last five months of the 2018 season with a back injury, began 2019 by advancing to the Qatar ExxonMobil Open final (l. to Bautista Agut) and then fell in the Australian Open fourth round (l. to Nadal). But having reached the 2018 quarter-finals (l. to Federer), the Czech dropped 22 places to No. 79 in the ATP Rankings, his lowest position since 16 August 2004 (No. 79).

Other Notable Top 100 Movers This Week
No. 14 Milos Raonic, +3
No. 16 (Career High) Daniil Medvedev, +3
No. 47 Marton Fucsovics, -9
No. 61 (Career High) Jordan Thompson +11
No. 72 Filip Krajinovic, +21
No. 85 Thomas Fabbiano, +17
No. 93 Ryan Harrison, -10
No. 94 Vasek Pospisil, -20
No. 100 Andrey Rublev, -13