BriefTea
Every story in sixty words
Get the free app no ads · no paywallExplained in plain English
How do tennis rankings work?
Tennis players are ranked based on points earned from tournaments over the past 52 weeks. The more prestigious the tournament and the further a player progresses, the more points they get. A higher ranking means better seeding in future tournaments, which can lead to easier early matches. Zheng Qinwen's win over the higher-ranked Swiatek shows how upsets can happen regardless of current standings.
Stories that explain this
Tearful Jack Draper loses at Canadian Open on injury comeback Elena Rybakina can become world number one by reaching Cincinnati final Aryna Sabalenka wins US Open opener, starting her title defenceRelated explainers
What are common tennis injuries? What's a tennis 'seed'? Why do athletes cry on court? What is the Canadian Open? What is the Cincinnati Open? What is a Grand Slam? What happens after a big win? Why is the prize money so high?The full catalogue
Browse every card filed under T →We would like to count visits and see which links bring readers here. That means storing a random ID in your browser. No cookies, no ads, no profile. How it works.