New USA Career High Rankings, May 11, 2015

Each week I will bring you a list of USAmerican players who have reached a new career-high ranking (CHR). This list covers all players in the Top 1000. Any player outside the Top 1000 will not be included unless they actually have earned at least one point from their previous career-high ranking. See all the CHR posts.

New WTA Career-High Rankings, May 11, 2015

Player name	New CHR	Last wk *= previous   CHR	+  from last week	Pvs CHR If prior to last wk	Date achieved If prior to last wk
Louisa Chirico	112	120*	+8
Katerina Stewart	161	201*	+40
Lauren Embree	265	277	+12	276	4/27/2015
Alexa Guarachi	425	447	+22	444	4/20/2015
Rianna Valdes	498	543*	+45
Nadja Gilchrist	525	547	+22	542	4/13/2015
Usue Arconada	538	541*	+3
Nicole Frenkel	539	542*	+3
Alexandra Morozova	541	549	+8	544	4/13/2015
Ingrid Neel	550	558	+8	552	4/13/2015
Alexa Graham	677	893	+216	892	4/27/2015
Erica Oosterhout	748	894	+146	893	4/27/2015
Marie Norris	768	772*	+4
Sofia Kenin	775	825*	+50		4/27/2015
Eva Raszkiewicz	934	1014	+80	1011	1/14/2013
Mercedes Hammond	1212	n/a	n/a	1254	10/27/2015
Ashley Kratzer	1212	n/a	n/a

Two big guns at the top: Louisa Chirico and Katerina Stewart. Those two played each other three times in three weeks of the USTA Har-Tru Wild Card Challenge - twice in finals and once in the first round - and after each tournament they set a new career high. Stewart's three finals in three weeks got her up 115 spots. She secured a direct entry into Wimbledon qualies and, thanks to a reciprocal agreement with the French Tennis Federation, she'll be playing qualies at the French Open next week. Chirico, meanwhile, nabbed the French Open main draw wild card, but by losing in the Indian Harbour Beach $50K final could be just out of the Wimbledon main draw, unless there are at least 4 withdrawals, which is certainly possible.

Others who reached new highs thanks to Indian Harbour Beach: wildcards Rianna Valdes and Erica Oosterhout (both 2nd round), qualifier Alexa Graham (also 2nd round), and Alexandra Morozova and Ingrid Neel (1st round losses, worth a point). In qualies, Sofia Kenin and Eva Raszkiewicz each got 3 points for winning 2 rounds. (Note: it's Raszkiewicz's first appearance on this blog's CHR list, and her first CHR in over two years!)

Finally, 17-year-old Marie Norris won a point from her first round qualies win, as did 16-year-old Ashley Kratzer, giving her three total points, or enough for a WTA ranking. Mercedes Hammond also got a point via her main draw wild card, and she's now back in the rankings after a six month gap.

In China, Alexa Guarachi picked up a few points both from qualifying and winning a round a week+ ago at the $25K in Nanning and then qualifying last week at the $75K in Anning. Lauren Embree reached the quarters of that $75K, the best result of her career at a tournament that size or larger.

Finally, in Egypt, former University of Georgia Bulldog Nadja Gilchrist reached the semis at the $10K in Sharm El Sheikh (then last week she won the next such event, which will boost her much higher!).

Usue Arconada rose up as others plummeted.

New ATP Career-High Rankings, May 11, 2015

Player name	New CHR	Last wk *= pvs CHR	+  from last wk	Pvs CHR If prior to last wk	Date achieved If prior to last wk
Jack Sock	33	37	+4	35	4/20/2015
Jared Donaldson	159	160*	+1
Daniel Nguyen	244	257	+13	256	4/20/2015
Mitchell Krueger	279	283*	+4
Frances Tiafoe	292	293*	+1
Alexander Sarkissian	351	386*	+35
Deiton Baughman	525	623	+98	611	2/16/2015
Wil Spencer	602	742	+140	739	4/27/2015
Michael Mmoh	631	666	+35	646	11/24/2014
Andre Dome	704	945*	+241
Raymond Sarmiento	780	846	+66	842	4/20/2015
Hunter Nicholas	1011	1106	+95	1100	4/20/2015
Oscar Fabian Matthews	1021	1022*	+1
Cameron Silverman	1232	1296	+64	1293	4/6/2015
Frederick Saba	1549	1726	+177	1702	10/27/2014

Not included: Clay Thompson (1149 / +5), Tomas Stillman (1549 / +6).

Sock: won a round at the Madrid Masters. Was up a break in the third set in his second round. So close to a Paris seed, yet so far. Losing first round this week in Rome sunk him.

Daniel Nguyen: won a round at the Busan Challenger in South Korea.

Futures: In Mexico, Alexander Sarkissian reached the final, while Hunter Nicholas reached the quarters (losing to Sarkissian). Oscar Fabian Matthews lost in the first round, but I included him anyway by mistake ... you got lucky THIS time, Matthews.

In Abuja, Nigeria, Deiton Baughman picked up 20 huge points by reaching the $15K+H final there, putting him on the cusp of the Top 500. The kid's got 6 points to defend until late October.

In Florida, Wil Spencer won his second career title and is now within an eyelash of the Top 600 with zero to defend until November. Mmoh reached the semis, while former Dukie Frederick Saba, in his first tournament of the year, won a round. Cameron Silverman also won a round in the tournament.

Finally, in Thailand, it was great to have Raymond Sarmiento in the semis! And then there was Andre Dome. 18 huge points by winning his first career futures and upsetting the lower-ranked but highly regarded 18-year-old Akira Santillan 64 67(7) 61 in the final. And he was a qualifier! And, by all reports, a pretty excellent fellow. So here's to you, young man. Congrats!

Congrats to TW sponsored player @Andre_Dome on winning his 1st pro event! #TeamTW @ATPWorldTour @PolyTennis pic.twitter.com/3C6gnQ8X28

— Tennis Warehouse (@tenniswarehouse) May 2, 2015

Jared Donaldson, Mitchell Krueger, and Frances Tiafoe all gained points just by attrition.