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Mauresmo becomes new world number one
France's Amelie Mauresmo became the new world women's number one player on Friday without having to lift a racquet.
France's Amelie Mauresmo became the new world women's number one player on Friday without having to lift a racquet.
Lindsay Davenport's defeat to Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova in the semi-finals of the US Open meant the American squandered her chance to take over top spot from Belgium's Justine Henin-Hardenne.
Instead Mauresmo, 25, who was knocked out of the US Open in the quarter-finals by Russia's Elena Dementieva, will officially take over the top spot when the next rankings list is released on Monday.
"This is just reward for Amelie's brilliant results on the circuit this season," said Christian Bimes, the president of the French Tennis Federation (FFT), in a statement released in Paris.
Mauresmo reaches the top spot despite never having won a Grand Slam crown.
The closest she has come was in 1999 when she was runner-up at the Australian Open.
This season, she made the semi-finals at Wimbledon as well as the last eight at the Australian Open, French Open and US Open.
She has won three tour titles in 2004 and was silver medallist behind Henin-Hardenne at the Olympics last month.
