Rankings Report: Schiavo Debuts in Top 10, Rafa Back to 1, Safina/Kuzzie Free Fall

Rafael Nadal's resounding victory in Paris at the French Open has catapulted the Spaniard back to the ATP driver's seat, replacing 16-time Major champ Rogerb Federer. Rafa lost the top spot last summer after a disappointing showing at RG and a forced withdrawal from Wimbledon, but less than a year later, he is back at the top. other significant ranking moves amongst the men were Juan Martin del Potro, who is unable to play until at least October, causing the Argentine to drop two spots to number 8. Jurgen Melzer moved up 11 spots to number 16, Tomas Berdych reentered the top 15, Fernando Gonzalez fell out of the top 20 and Robby Ginepri improved 28 spots, to number 70, after a pleasantly surprising run to the final 16 at the French.

In the women's rankings, Francesca Schiavone, fresh off her remarkable triumph in France, went from 17th to 6th. Schiavone's compatriot, Flavia Pennetta, went up 5 spots to number 10 while the top 5 was unchanged. Svetlana Kuznetsova had a boatload of points to defend after her 2009 RG win, but she failed to repeat, descending rapidly from number 6 to number 19. Fellow Russian Dinara Safina fell from 9th to 20th after going out in the 1st round. Elena Dementieva is now the only Russian in the top 10, just a couple year's after the women from her country revolutionized the sport, while Italy has 2 women. WTF!? Shahar Peer and Nadia Petrova both joined the top 15 after impressive results at the clay slam, while Sorana Cirstea suffered a 24-ranking fall to number 58.

Madrid Results: Fed, Rafa and Venus Reach Semis, Jankovic and Murray Fall

After suffering a devastating defeat to Ernests Gulbis at the Italian Open two weeks ago, Roger Federer turned the tables on the Latvian in Madrid, mounting an impressive comeback to defeat Gulbis, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4. Rafael Nadal has yet to drop a set this week at the Mutua Madrilena Masters, where he is the defending runner-up, making quick work of Gael Monfils, 6-1, 6-3, to advance to the semifinals.

Just one week after receiving an absolute beatdown at the hands of Jelena Jankovic, Venus Williams had little difficulty beating one of the other hottest players on tour, Sam Stosur, who could have broken into the top 5 with a win.

“Her game plan seemed to be to just attack everything,” said Williams, following her 3 and 3 win. “She played well. But there were some key points, and at the end, from 4-3, I felt like I went, on autopilot, so it felt good.”

Venus will take on Shahar Peer, who took out Li Na in 3 sets, while Lucia Safarova, who beat Nadia Petrova 6-1, 1-6, 6-4, will face Aravane Rezai, a upset victor against Jankovic.

David Ferrer pulled off an unexpected upset by beating 4th-seeded Andy Murray in straight sets to advance to the final 4, where the Spaniard will take on Federer. Over the course of the 7-5, 6-3 win, which lasted 2 hours and 11 minutes, Ferrer proved why he is constantly a lay-court threat, while Murray showed some of his amateur tendencies that popped up in March. To complete the trifecta of Spaniards in the final, Nicolas Almagro easily defeated Jurgen Melzer, 6-3, 6-1 to earn the right to play Rafa for a finals berth.

Rome Womens Results: Ivanovic Notches a 3rd Straight W, Wozniacki Upset

Despite the heavily-hyped return of Serena Williams to the WTA Tour, it's the more under-the-radar players who are impressing in Rome. Jelena Jankovic and Yanina Wickmayer were expected to be caught in a closely played match, but their encounter turned out to be completely one-sided, as the 7th seeded Jankovic blew the 11th-seeded Wickmayer off the court, 6-2, 6-0. Another Serb, Ana Ivanovic, proved just how far a slight ounce of confidence can take you, as the former number 1 followed up her win over Victoria Azarenka with a straight-set victory against Elena Dementieva. Nadia Petrova fought hard to earn a 3-set win over Alexandra Dulgheru while Lucie Safarova upset Agnieszka Radwanksa 7-6 (1) in the third.

Both Serena and her sister Venus reached the quarterfinals on Wednesday, and with one more win by each, could face off in the semis. Serena took out Andrea Petkovic 6-2, 3-6, 6-0 in an erratic performance that the American described as "rusty". Venus, on the other hand, had a much easier time, defeating Shahar Peer 3 and 4. Maria Kirilenko dropped the first set against Dominika Cibulkova only to come roaring back, taking the next two 6-1. In the biggest story of the day, Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez shocked Caroline Wozniacki 6-4, 6-2.

Dubai Results: Peer Continues Magical Run, Venus and Vika In to the Semis

Shahar Peer's run in Dubai this week has been nothing short of inspiring, as the Israeli has knocked out the tournament's top seed, Caroline Wozniacki, and Yanina Wickmayer. Most recently, Peer, who was denied a visa by the tournament organizers last year, an incident which caused many other players to protest, defeated the 8th seeded Li Na as the Chinese retired down 7-5, 3-0. Peer will face Venus Williams in the semis. The American took out Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-3, 6-4.

On the opposite side of the draw, Victoria Azarenka will meet Agnieszka Radwanska in the final 4. Azarenka looked very impressive in a 6-1, 6-3 out of Vera Zvonareva, while Radwanska squeaked past qualifier Regina Kulikova 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Look Ahead to 2010: 5 Players to Watch For

We're just days away from ringing in the new year with family and friends, but more importantly, the beginning if the 2010 tennis season is inching closer and closer. The first week of tournaments is January 4th, so we have a few days to make our predictions and look ahead to the year's first slam, the Australian Open. We'll begin by looking for 5 players that will make big-time noise this year.

1. David Nalbandian- This Argentine had a crummy 2009, with a severe injury that shortened his campaign, and disappointing results, but with one of the best backhands in the game, and the experience to match it, Nalbandian will return to the elite. He now sits with a ranking of 64, but after surgery and a long 7 months of preparation, look for the former world number 3 to make a surprising run in Melbourne.

2. Sabine Lisicki- After winning her first ever title in Charleston, upsetting Caroline Wozniacki in the final, Sabine Lisicki continued her impressive play, finishing the season just outside the top 20. The 20 year old reached a GS quarterfinal at Wimbledon, and was 2nd on the WTA Tour in aces behind Serena Williams. Expect this German to make a lot of noise in 2010.

3. Richard Gasquet- Cleared if his now infamous cocaine scandal, Frenchman Richard Gasquet is ready to return to the ATP Tour with a chip on his shoulder. Once a fixture in the top 15, Gasquet career took a turn for the worse with zero titles in 2008 and a 2009 cut short by suspension. Now just outside the top 50, Gasquet, who is still just 23, will be a danger to the elite.

4. Shahar Peer- This Israeli has been on the tour for quite some time, but at just 22 years old, she has her whole career ahead of her. Shahar Peer won two titles in 2009 at recorded 39 match wins. She has said she plans to have an even better year in 2010, so the ladies of the tour should be aware of Peer and her fierce groundstrokes.

5. Petra Kvitova- Petra Kvitova made her mark on the WTA in 2009. At just 19 years old, she defeated then world number 1 Dinara Safina en route to the US Open 4th round. She won her premiere title earlier in the year in Hobart, and she reached the top 50. This Czech could definitely become a threat on the big stages.