MOSCOW, October 28 (R-Sport) – Mikhail Youzhny restored Russia's presence in the men's tennis elite Monday, climbing to 15th in the world after winning the Valencia Open.
On Sunday, the 31-year-old took his second title of the year, beating world No. 3 David Ferrer in the final of the hard-court tournament in Valencia by a score of 6-3, 7-5.
The Russian, who reached No. 8 in 2010, reached his highest rankings in two years and may be satisfied with the season, climbing 10 places since January. He also won on clay at the Gstaad Open in July.
Dmitry Tursunov, who lost to Youzhny in the Valencia semifinals, rose nine places to 30th, underlining his credentials as a nominee for the Association of Tennis Professionals Comeback Player of the Year award.
There was no movement inside the top 10, with Rafael Nadal still on top and Novak Djokovic 550 points behind him in second, but this week’s Paris Masters may shake up the standings.
In the women’s rankings, Maria Sharapova fell to fourth as her two-month absence with a shoulder injury began to bite, while Li Na reached a career high of third.
The 31-year-old Li gained two places after reaching the final of the season-ending WTA Championships in Istanbul, where she lost to Serena Williams, still the world No. 1.
Agnieszka Radwanska lost all her three matches in Istanbul and dropped one place to fifth.
