February Rankings: Serena Claimed 19th Slam Title, New Career High For Keys and Donaldson

 ATP - Top 15 Americans

Notable Changes

•  Steve Johnson takes over the No. 2 spot from Sam Querrey.
• Jared Donaldson makes his debut on the Top 15 List at No. 15 with the aid of his maiden challenger title at the $50K Maui over fellow first-time American finalist Nicolas Meister (former UCLA Bruin).
• Ryan Harrison is back on the list at No. 11 with the Happy Valley Challenger title run.
• Alex Kuznetsov and Jarmere Jenkins are bumped off the list despite minimal changes from the January ATP rankings.

A Mixture Of Veterans And Youths, Four Women Into The Second Week (2015 AO)

American women found success at the first grand slam of the year. A mixture of veterans and new faces, led by the Williams sisters, reached the second week of the Australian Open. 

First time four US women in fourth round of #AusOpen in 12 years. 2003: Serena, Venus, Davenport, Rubin 2015: Serena, Venus, Keys, Brengle
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) January 24, 2015

Eighteen-time grand slam champion, Serena Williams, and her older sister, Venus, once again made the fourth round of a grand slam.  A first appearance at this stage for Venus in the singles since 2011, the year she was diagnosed with Sjögren's syndrome.  On the brink of defeat in the previous round, the 34 year old showed resilience in a comeback over the big hitting Italian, Camila Giorgi.  Trailing a set and a point from double-break disadvantage, Williams fought off multiple break points to take the second set tiebreak before cruising in the decider to a 4-6 7-6(3) 6-1 victory.  The nearly 2.5 hour encounter was physical and emotional for the former World No. 1 trying to make her way back to the top echelon of tennis.  "It's definitely been a lot of work and a lot of learning and a lot of perseverance.  It will continue to be that for me.  Just have to come to terms with it", said Williams.  With the win, she is projected to rise to No. 12 in the WTA ranking and is slated to play No. 6 Agnieszka Radwanska who defeated American Varvara Lepchenko in straight sets.

Decent Start to the 2015 American Campaign

Not a bad start to the new season from the American bunch highlighted by Venus Williams' victory in Auckland and the Hopman Final.  The ATP performance may not be as good as the WTA's, but there were some nice results at the lower tour events including a surprising start for Ryan Harrison and strong showings by the teenagers on the futures tour.

In the first week of the 2015 season, Venus Williams claimed her 46th title at the ASB Classic in Auckland.  The 34 year old upended fellow former World No.1, Caroline Wozniacki, 2-6 6-3 6-3.  With the victory, Williams is back up at No.18 on the WTA tour ranking.  Also in New Zealand, 21 year old Lauren Davis reached her first career semifinal coming back from 1st set deficient each time.  She defeated fellow Americans, Shelby Rogers and Sloane Stephens, as well as Pole Urszula Radwanska before falling to Williams.  CoCo Vandeweghe also made the quarterfinals.