New Delhi, April 20 : Belarusian star Aryna Sabalenka continues to dominate the WTA Rankings, extending her stay at World No. 1 despite skipping the Stuttgart Open, while Elena Rybakina strengthened her position in second with another title-winning run.

Sabalenka began her 79th consecutive week at the top, and 90th overall, maintaining a commanding 2,395-point lead over Rybakina even after opting not to defend her points from last yearâ??s runner-up finish in Stuttgart. However, the gap narrowed slightly after Rybakina lifted the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix title, defeating Karolina Muchova in the final to secure her second title of the season and 13th of her career.

The Kazakhâ??s Stuttgart triumph was particularly notable as she saved match points en route, including two against Leylah Fernandez, and claimed her fifth career clay title. She will have another opportunity to close the gap at the upcoming Madrid Open, where Sabalenka has significant points to defend.

Behind the top two, both Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek missed chances to gain ground after exiting in the Stuttgart quarter-finals. Swiatek, in particular, was unable to overtake Gauff after falling to teenage sensation Mirra Andreeva, who advanced to the semi-finals and moved up to World No. 8.

Muchovaâ??s run to the final lifted her to No. 11, putting her on the brink of a Top 10 return after registering key wins over Gauff and Elina Svitolina during the tournament.

In Rouen, Ukraineâ??s Marta Kostyuk claimed her second career title by defeating compatriot Veronika Podrez in the first all-Ukrainian WTA final. Kostyuk, returning strongly after an injury layoff earlier this season, climbed five places to No. 23.

Podrez, competing in her first WTA main draw, emerged as one of the biggest stories of the week. The 19-year-old, ranked No. 209 entering the tournament, defeated Sloane Stephens and recorded her first Top 100 wins before reaching the final. She surged 62 places to a career-high No. 147, becoming one of the youngest rising prospects on tour.

Among other notable movers, Germanyâ??s Tatjana Maria climbed to No. 54 after a semi-final run in Rouen, while Turkeyâ??s Zeynep Sonmez reached a career-high No. 67 following a landmark Top 10 win over Jasmine Paolini in Stuttgart. American Alycia Parks also advanced to No. 84.

Further down the rankings, Austriaâ??s Sinja Kraus edged closer to the Top 100, while Polandâ??s Maja Chwalinska climbed to a career-high No. 118 after a dominant WTA 125 title run. Italyâ??s Tyra Caterina Grant and American Robin Montgomery also made significant gains following strong returns from the ITF and WTA circuits.

Spainâ??s Sara Sorribes Tormo continued her comeback with a title-winning run, while Czech teenager Alena Kovackova achieved a new career high after reaching an ITF final.

Meanwhile, Latviaâ??s Jelena Ostapenko endured a sharp drop, falling to No. 40 after an early exit in Stuttgart ended her title defence.

As the clay season intensifies ahead of Roland Garros, the rankings reflect both Sabalenkaâ??s continued supremacy and the growing challenge from a resurgent and ambitious chasing pack.

/IANS