2019 Australian Open: Four players vying for Halep's No. 1 ranking

With three of the four quarterfinals with ranking # 1 implications, here's how the last eight finals are:

The upper half:
No.8 Karolina Pliskova No.16 Serena Williams (1-2)
No.4 Naomi Osaka against. No.6 Elina Svitolina (2-3)

Lower half:
No.6 Petra Kvitova No.15 Ashleigh Barty (3-0)
No.35 Danielle Collins vs. No.44 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (first meeting)

If Kvitova beats Barty in the quarterfinals on Tuesday, there will be a new No.1 after the Australian Open, but it could be Kvitova, Osaka, Svitolina or Pliskova.

Kvitova, who reached the number 2 of his career in 2011, must qualify for the semi-finals and perform a better lap than Osaka to have a chance to become No. 1. In addition, if Svitolina or Pliskova reach the final, Kvitova will have to win the title to qualify first. A semi-finalist here in 2012, Kvitova is on the verge of becoming No. 1 in this race of the Australian Open, where she lost a tense three-set battle against Maria Sharapova in the semifinal .

The winner of Osaka against Svitolina will remain in contention for the No.1. In addition to reaching the semi-finals, the reigning US Open champion Osaka should equal or improve Kvitova's performance in the tournament.

Svitolina, the reigning WTA Finals champion, must reach the final to remain in contention for the No. 1 standings, but reaching the final itself may not be enough, depending on Kvitova's results. If Kvitova qualifies for the final, Svitolina will have to win the title in order to access the No. 1.

Pliskova, who became the first woman in the Czech Republic to lead the standings in 2017, must reach the final for a chance to return to first place. However, if Osaka or Kvitova qualify for the semi-finals, Pliskova will then have to win the title to maintain first place. Pliskova and Osaka could face the semi-finals.

Halep, who has held the No. 1 ranking for 48 consecutive weeks and a total of 64 weeks, can only maintain the No. 1 ranking if Osaka and Kvitova both lose in the quarter-finals and neither Svitolina nor Pliskova is in the No. 1 standings. reach the final.