Italian Roberta Vinci, who celebrated her 33rd birthday on Thursday, received a memorable present in the form of a top 10 ranking.
Vinci was informed that she will crack the top 10 for the first time on Monday.
She becomes the oldest player – since the WTA rankings first appeared in November 1975 – to make her top 10 debut, having previously peaked at world No.11 in 2013.
She is the fourth Italian to crack the top 10, following in the footsteps of Francesca Schiavone, Flavia Pennetta and Sara Errani.
Incredibly, she was ranked outside the top 50 just seven months ago before embarking on a stellar run that saw her reach the US Open final and then win her first title in two years last week in St Petersburg.
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