Ranking Risers: Which British players rose up the rankings in March?
A jam-packed March saw the ATP and WTA tours head stateside for back-to-back Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami, while the ITF tour continued to see Brits claim success across the globe.
From lifting titles, to gaining career-high rankings, many of our Brits had a memorable month on the hard courts – so let’s take a closer look at who found themselves climbing up the rankings in March.
Career-high rankings for Burrage and Johnson
March was a month to remember for Jodie Burrage, who lifted her first singles title of the year at the W60 Croissy-Beaubourg event at the end of the month. The 23-year-old enjoyed a dream week in Paris, where she overcame Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti in three sets to clinch the fifth ITF singles title of her career. This win saw Burrage shoot to a new career-high ranking of world No.109 – and also British No.2 - as she continues her ascension towards the WTA top 100.
Luke Johnson carried his momentum from February into March, following his victory at the Rome Challenger 75 event with doubles partner Sam Verbeek. The British, Dutch duo made back-to-back ATP Challenger semi-finals in Saint Brieuc and Lille where they marginally missed out on spots in the final. His strong performances saw Johnson rise to a career-high in the doubles rankings at No.146, with the Brit looking to continue to build on his form throughout April.
Meanwhile, Emilie Lindh also reached world No.500 in the doubles rankings – her highest ranking to date, following her triumph in Sharm El Sheikh where she picked up two consecutive W15 titles.
Hewett and Reid on top of the doubles wheelchair rankings
March saw Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid collect their eighth Super Series title together at the Cajun Classic – marking their fourth title from five tournaments so far this year. The British duo faced Spain’s Martin De la Puente and Argentina’s Gustavo Fernandez in the final, where they stormed to a 7-6(1), 6-2 victory to claim the title and re-gain their spots at the top of the doubles rankings. Hewett finished the month ranked world No.1 in both singles and doubles, while Reid follows closely behind at No.2.
Raducanu rewarded for impressive run in Indian Wells
Emma Raducanu's spectacular performances at Indian Wells led her to reach the Round of 16 in the desert last month. The fortnight saw Raducanu produce some of her best tennis since her 2021 US Open win, claiming wins against Magda Linette and world No.13 Beatriz Haddad Maia, before falling short against Iga Swiatek. Despite bowing out in the first round of the Miami Open, Raducanu has shown immense progress and finished the month ranked No.68 as she seeks to break back into the top 50.
Harris, Broady and Choinski make moves following Challenger successes
Billy Harris hit a significant milestone in March, clinching a career-best result at the Las Franquesas Del Valles Challenger, where he made his first ATP Challenger final. Having sailed through to the final without dropping a set, the Brit just lost out on the title to second seed Hugo Grenier in three sets. A breakthrough week for Harris in Spain saw him jump over 60 places in the world rankings to finish the month at No.309.
Meanwhile, Liam Broady’s run to the final in Biel saw him be rewarded with another jump in the rankings. Despite his hopes of a second ATP Challenger trophy coming to an end by being forced to retire against Canada’s Gabriel Diallo, the Brit rose 30 places to end the month as world No.132 – just 16 places off his career best.
Jan Choinski also embarked on a successful run at the Mexico City Challenger, where he cruised through to the semi-finals. Although the Brit missed out on a spot in the final, Choinski now finds himself ranked inside the ATP top 200 - the highest ranking of his career so far.