Belinda Bencic and Elina Svitolina make tennis history after the Australian Open

The Australian Open has now reached its conclusion, with Elena Rybakina and Carlos Alcaraz emerging as the champions of the hard-court Grand Slam.

Rybakina exacted revenge on Aryna Sabalenka, turning the tide from their Australian Open final back in 2023, which the Belarusian won.

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The women’s final arrived before Alcaraz battled past Novak Djokovic in the men’s final, clinching his first title in Melbourne.

Alcaraz is now a career Grand Slam champion, while Djokovic has been forced to extend his wait for a 25th Grand Slam title.

The Serbian has, however, at least enjoyed a significant ranking rise on the ATP Tour after the tournament, climbing to third place.

Mothers Belinda Bencic and Elina Svitolina make WTA rankings history

Djokovic isn’t the only significant mover on the ATP Tour, with Taylor Fritz swapping places with fellow American Ben Shelton in seventh.

However, more notable on the WTA Tour are the new world rankings for Belinda Bencic and Elina Svitolina.

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Bencic has moved up one spot to ninth, with Svitolina joining her in the top 10 after climbing two spots to 10th.

Their new rankings after the Grand Slam mean that two mothers are now ranked inside the WTA top 10 for the first time ever.

Mixed fortunes for Grand Slam champions after the Australian Open

It’s a truly superb feat for iconic figures Bencic and Svitolina, who are flying the flag superbly for tennis mothers.

After a superb United Cup run, the Swiss ace fell in the second round of the Australian Open, while the Ukrainian star reached the semifinals.

Also impressing in the motherhood light is Naomi Osaka, with the former world number one having just risen three spots in the WTA rankings to 14th.

But other Grand Slam champions have suffered drops, namely 2025 Australian Open winner Madison Keys.

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She has fallen six places to 15th after her fourth round exit in Melbourne, with Emma Raducanu dropping one spot to 30th after losing in round two.

Back to the top 10, and Coco Gauff has fallen two places to fifth, with Australian Open champion Rybakina rising two spots to third.

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