This World Rankings update includes results from the IWT Latvian Open. It does not include the results of the IWT German Open.
2019 stars Zuzana Severinova and Arnaud Genin both rise to new career highs with Seveirnova up to World No.2 and Genin No.5.
Severinova moves above Bettina Bugl after winning the IWT Latvian Open singles title while there are also top-10 moves for Anna-Klara Ahlmer, Elisabeth Seehofer and Hannah Boden.
In the Men’s Rankings, Kresten Hougaard, Dan Busby, Arnaud Genin, Luke Penttinen and Rav Rykowski all rise in the top-10.
In the Women’s rankings, there are big moves for Viktorija Ratacova, Susan Rutschmann and Katarzyna Myslek while in the Men’s, Marcel Weigl, Loic Cencig and Luke Griffiths all better their ranking.
Women’s Rankings: Severinova Rises Once Again
For the fifth month in a row, Zuzana Severinova has reached a new career-high. After beginning the year ranked World No.7, Severinova has risen one spot every month for five consecutive months, placing her now at World No.2.
Her most recent move comes after lifting the IWT Latvian Open title, the first Women’s A Singles title of her career.
In the final, she beat Anna-Klara Ahlmer who also moved up. Ahlmer is now back at No.4, just one spot away from her career-high of No.3 which she set in October 2016. After reaching the final at the IWT German Open as well, Ahlmer could move up to No.3 next month.
Despite not playing since the Vienna Classics, Elisabeth Seehofer rises one place to World No.8, overtaking Astrid Reimer-Kern after ranking points from the 2017 IWT German Open were removed.
U21 World Champion Hannah Boden leapfrogs Silke Altmann to close out the top-10, with Altmann falling one spot to No.11.
After finishing 6th in the Women’s A, Viktorija Ratacova sees a jump of eight places up to World No.8 as she continues a strong year. Women’s B Champion Kaisu Anttila makes the biggest move of the month, landing at No.80 after an incredible rise of 70 places.
Women’s B runner-up Anete Zabere also sees a healthy bump of 33 places up to No.65 while there is also an 11 place rise for Susan Rutschmann up to No.42.
Men’s Rankings: Danish One-Two as Genin Also Hits New High
Kresten Hougaard has moved up to World No.2 after finishing 3rd in Latvia to make it a Danish one-two at the top of the rankings.
Dan Busby has also returned to World No.3 after the recently-retired Lukas Windischberger fell two spots to No.4.
Morten Jaksland’s title at the IWT Latvian Open means he has now opened up a lead of nearly 1,400 points at the summit.
There is further movement in the top-10 with Arnaud Genin, Luka Penttinen and Rav Rykowski all progress one place to No.5, No.6 and No.7 respectively. This comes after Benjamin Graenicher’s injury-hit season sees him fall three places to No.8.
A runner-up finish for Leon Griffiths sees the young Brit go to No.12 as he attempts to get back into the World’s Top-10. Younger brother Luke, who finished 6th, moves up 18 spots to clinch No.46, one place behind fellow Brit Alex Du Noyer.
The biggest mover in the top-25 was Marcel Weigl, whose 7th place finish sees him reach No.21. Other big movers in the A grade include Loic Cencig, up 17 places to No.31, and Michal Kurek, who cracks the top-100 for the first time at No.49.
Men’s B champion Philip Pedersen is rewarded for his superb performance with an impressive rise of 25 places to No.63. Sweden’s Jesper Hedlund, who finishes as runner-up, enters the rankings for the first time at No.218.
Ilari Ponkko’s Men’s C title moves him up to a career-high No.263 in a successful month for Finnish players. Otto Tennila, Joel Pennanen, Seppo Raiski, Oskari Laiho, Roni Lyytinen, Sampsa Kauppi, Jukka Kouri, all leap at least 18 spaces, with Laiho rising a remarkable 95 spots.
The full FIR World Rankings are available here.
Sam Barker / FIR Media Officer
