NEW YORK — The two Italian women who met in the surprising U.S. Open final, champion Flavia Pennetta and runner-up Roberta Vinci, have made big jumps in the WTA rankings.
Pennetta rose 18 spots to a career-best No. 8 on Monday, two days after beating Vinci to become, at 33, the oldest first-time Grand Slam champion. Vinci, who stunned Serena Williams in the semifinals, went from 43rd to 19th.
Williams remained at No. 1 — she already is assured of finishing the year there — followed by No. 2 Simona Halep, No. 3 Maria Sharapova and No.