New Rankings as of September 8, 2008:
1. Serena (4091)
2. JJ (3965)
3. Baby Elephant (3532)
4. Lena D. (3430)
5. Baby Beluga (3357)
6. Masha
7. Kuzzie
8. Venus
9. Bepa
10. A-Rad
11. SuperGirl
12. Chakky
13. Peppermint Patty
14. Mono Bartoli
15. Vika
16. Flava Flav
17. Ski Boots
18. The Cone
19. Agnes
20. Domi
So Serena gains the #1 ranking but only by a 126 points. All of the top 5 players are still within shooting distance of each other heading into the fall season and the YEC. Ana is in the toughest position, as she has the most points to defend in the coming months. She has the Luxembourg title (270) and the semis of the YECs (335). Serena (410), JJ (475), and Lena (575) will also have to work to keep their numbers up. Dinara is in the best position with the fewest number of points to defend (205). All that being said, logic tells you that Baby Elephant is well-rested and chomping at the bit to reestablish herself and her game. Since she turned pro in 2004, she has ended the year with a higher rank than when she started. She'll need to finish at least at #3 to keep that trend going. All in all, it should be a fun sprint to the finish line.
As for the Race rankings:
1. Serena*
2. JJ*
3. Baby Beluga*
4. Baby Elephant*
5. Lena D.
6. Masha
7. Venus
8. Kuzzie
9. A-Rad
10. Bepa
11. Ski Boots
12. Peppermint Patty
13. Flava Flav
14. The Cone
15. Chakky
* Qualified for YEC
I will be absolutely elated if Ski Boots makes the YEC. She has a chance to do it, too. Masha is likely out with injury. Bepa reportedly has a wrist injury that could effect her play. Who knows how Venus will do going forward. The real X factor is Kuzzie. Could it be that we could see a YEC without her? Quite possible given her recent level of play. Of course, Caro would also have to hold off Patty, Flav, and Cone to make it happen. And with the Race rankings so tight (less than 100 points separate Boots and Cone), each tournament matters.
