Kimberly Birrell finishes the 2023 season as the top-ranked Australian in singles, while Storm Hunter is the world’s top-ranked doubles player.
Australia, 7 November 2023 | Leigh Rogers
Women’s singles
Kimberly Birrell is the top-ranked Australian in the WTA Tour’s year-end singles rankings, which were released today.
It is the first time the 25-year-old from the Gold Coast has finished a season as the Aussie No.1.
Birrell’s highlights from a career-best season include eight top-100 victories, a top-100 debut and most importantly, staying healthy following a horror run with injuries that threatened to prematurely end her career.
World No.113 Birrell is also set to lead the Australian team at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Spain this week, which marks her first appearance in the team competition in more than four years.
> READ: Birrell – “It is such a privilege and honour to represent Australia again”
Other Aussie woman to make impressive ranking gains in the past 12 months include Astra Sharma, Olivia Gadecki, Arina Rodionova, Storm Hunter and Destanee Aiava.
Taylah Preston, an 18-year-old from Perth, is the biggest riser within the Australian top 15. The teenage talent ends a breakout year, which netted three ITF singles title, at a career-high world No.244.
Ajla Tomljanovic, who was the top-ranked Australian at the end of the 2022 season, finishes an injury-marred year at world No.549. The 30-year-old has played only four tour-level matches since undergoing knee surgery in January.
| Player | Year-end ranking | Difference in 12 months | |
| 1 | Kimberly Birrell | No.113 | +54 |
| 2 | Astra Sharma | No.120 | +111 |
| 3 | Olivia Gadecki | No.132 | +69 |
| 4 | Arina Rodionova | No.148 | +149 |
| 5 | Storm Hunter | No.172 | +65 |
| 6 | Destanee Aiava | No.186 | +216 |
| 7 | Jaimee Fourlis | No.204 | -42 |
| 8 | Daria Saville | No.206 | -153 |
| 9 | Priscilla Hon | No.210 | -59 |
| 10 | Seone Mendez | No.241 | +79 |
| 11 | Taylah Preston | No.244 | +362 |
| 12 | Maddison Inglis | No.277 | -100 |
| 13 | Lizette Cabrera | No.281 | +15 |
| 14 | Talia Gibson | No.301 | +63 |
| 15 | Tina Smith | No.403 | +337 |
> VIEW: Full WTA Tour year-end singles rankings
Women’s doubles
Storm Hunter becomes only the second Australian woman – and first in 17 years – to finish the season as year-end world No.1 in doubles.
The 29-year-old formed a strong partnership with Belgian Elise Mertens in 2023. They won WTA 1000 titles at Rome and Guadalajara, were Wimbledon finalists and most recently, progressed to the semifinals at the WTA…
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