Djokovic, Osaka consolidate top spot in tennis rankings

PARIS, May 13 (AFP): Novak Djokovic tightened his grip on the ATP tennis rankings Monday following his win in the Madrid Open.

The Serbian world number one widened his lead over Spaniard Rafael Nadal who was dumped out of the Madrid tournament by young gun Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece in the semi-finals.

Tsitsipas lost the final to Djokovic but eased two places up the rankings to seventh on the strength of his recent show of form.

Meanwhile, Naomi Osaka narrowly retained her number one ranking on Monday ahead of Simona Halep after the Romanian missed the chance to reclaim top spot following defeat in the Madrid Open final.

The 21-year-old Osaka lost in the last eight in the Spanish capital, but the Japanese star will stay at the summit for at least another week as Halep was beaten 6-4, 6-4 by Kiki Bertens.

The Dutchwoman became the first woman to win Madrid without dropping a set and climbed to a career-high ranking of fourth following the biggest title of her career.