Simona Halep, leader in WTA and WTA Race rankings

Romanian Simona Halep is still leading in the world ranking of Women's Tennis Association (WTA), as released on Monday, but has also climbed to number one in the WTA Race hierarchy, for the Tournament of Champions. 

Halep (26 years old), a finalist on Sunday in the WTA tournament in Rome, reached 29 weeks as a world leader and is closing in on number 12 in an all time-high hierarchy, occupied by the German Angelique Kerber, with 34 weeks. 

Halep has a head start of 335 points in her ranking to date, as opposed to the second runner-up, Danish Caroline Wozniacki, while there is a 1,200- point gap between her and the third ranked, Garbine Muguruza. 

Six Romanian women tennis players are currently present in the WTA 100 rankings: Mihaela Buzarnescu, went up a spot, on 32, Irina Bega maintains no. 41, Sorana Cirstea went down two places and is currently on 45, Monica Niculescu is still on 61, and Ana Bogdan is further away, on 65. 

In the doubles' rankings, Monica Niculescu moved down one notch and is currently on 18, Begu advanced one spot to 28, Raluca Olaru managed a leap of two places and is on 42, Buzarnescu is keeping steady on 61, and Cirstea managed an impressive leap of 58 spots, up to 89, after the semifinals in Rome.

In the WTA Race hierarchy, which matters for the Tournament of Champions, and which counts the 2018 results, Halep went up two spots after the final in Rome and ranks first, holding a 155-point lead over Wozniacki and 383 points ahead of Kvitova.