The ranking system doesn’t lie. If a player has a number next to their name, there’s always a reason. Sure, luck can play a role–like with lucky losers–but overall, the rankings are highly meritocratic, and every tennis player builds their position based on what they achieve on the court. Some might disagree or see flaws in the system. In fact, last year there was a bit of controversy: why was Alexander Zverev ranked World No. 2 without a Grand Slam title, while Carlos Alcaraz was World No. 3 after winning both the French Open and Wimbledon? The answer is simple: Zverev was more consistent–for example, he reached the quarterfinals in all nine Masters 1000 events.
Bucsa’s Anomaly
Speaking of quarterfinals, there’s a surprising stat on the WTA Tour. One of the players ranked inside the Top 100 hasn’t reached a single quarterfinal in the past 52 weeks. Her name is Cristina Bucsa, a Moldovan-born Spanish player who’s currently ranked No. 93 with 773 points. Not only has she not won a title–she hasn’t even reached a final, a semifinal, or a quarterfinal. So how is she among the 100 best players in the world? Let’s take a closer look.
But first, let’s consider the rest of the Top 100. Besides Bucsa, there are eight other players who haven’t reached a single semifinal over the last 52 weeks (Marta Kostyuk, Hailey Baptiste, Ons Jabeur, Moyuka Uchijima, Yulia Starodubtseva, Maria Sakkari, Victoria Azarenka, and Taylor Townsend). However, they have all reached at least one quarterfinal. Bucsa hasn’t–and that’s what makes her presence in the Top 100 so unique. For the record, her last quarterfinal appearance was in Bogotá in April 2024.
Exploits and Consistency
Bucsa won three main-draw matches in a row just once over the past year. It happened last fall at the China Open in Beijing. She defeated local wild card Xinxin Yao in the first round, then upset two top players–Liudmila Samsonova (Top 15 at the time) and Elise Mertens (top 30) — earning 120 points, which account for the bulk of her total. Another key source of her points came at the Qatar Open in Doha, where she qualified for the main draw and beat another Top 20 player, Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya.
Despite winning relatively few matches, she made the most of the right ones. For instance, she reached the second round at the Australian Open and, more recently, the third round at Wimbledon, collecting a combined 200 points. Add to that the 90 points she earned in Austin and Nottingham (48+42)–where she reached the second round–and you start to understand what keeps her inside the Top 100.
Success in Doubles
Bucsa also currently sits 68th in the Race, so she can definitely aim to finish the year inside the Top 100 if she maintains this pace. Despite missing the final stages of most tournaments, she holds a 20–20 win–loss record, which speaks to a certain level of consistency. Moreover, she’s compensating for her singles results with success in doubles. Ranked just outside the Top 40, she won the Mutua Madrid Open and earned a Bronze Medal at the Paris Olympics last year, both alongside fellow Spaniard Sara Sorribes Tormo. In 2025, they also claimed the title in Bogotá, and Bucsa–partnering with Japan’s Miyu Kato–reached the final in Miami, losing only in the super tie-break to Andreeva/Shnaider.
Main Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
