Roger Federer will become the 23rd man to hold tennis’ top spot when new rankings are released on Monday.
Federer (22) will be the first Swiss man to be number one 1 in the world.
Federer, who beat Marat Safin in the Australian Open final on Sunday, was number two in the most recent rankings. US Open champion Andy Roddick, who was ranked number one ahead of the season’s first major, will slip to third after losing to Safin in the quarterfinals.
Spain’s Juan Carlos Ferrero, who could have become number one if he’d won at Melbourne, will instead move up one spot to second. Andre Agassi, the 2003 Australian Open champion, will slip one spot to fifth after losing in the semifinals to Safin. He switches places with Argentina’s Guillermo Coria.
Safin, a former top-ranked player and winner of the 2000 US Open, will make by far the biggest jump, from 86th to the low 30s, the ATP said, after reaching the final. His ranking had slipped last year as he struggled with wrist injuries, losing his last six matches of 2003.
Also making a jump will be Thailand’s Paradorn Srichaphan, who is expected to go from 15th to number ten. He reached a high of number nine last May.
On the women’s side, Justine Henin-Hardenne will retain the top ranking after beating fellow Belgian Kim Clijsters in the final.
Clijsters, still without a Grand Slam title, will hold onto the number 2 ranking.
Amelie Mauresmo of France, who had to pull out of her quarterfinal match with a back injury, will rise to third, switching places with Serena Williams, who was unable to defend her Australian Open title while recuperating from knee surgery.
Her sister, Venus, made her return from an abdominal problem at the Australian Open, but was beaten in the third round and will slip from 11th to 14th. She had been seeded third at Melbourne Park, largely because she made it to last year’s final.
Jennifer Capriati, who missed the tournament, still will rise to fifth, switching places with Lindsay Devenport.
Switzerland’s Patty Schnyder, who reached the semifinals before losing to Clijsters, will rise from 26th to 15th. She reached as high as eighth in 1999. – Sapa-AP