Angelique Kerber is in a good position to reclaim the World No. 1 ranking heading into Indian Wells. The German, after winning the 2016 Australian Open, did not enjoy much success on tour again until Stuttgart and Wimbledon 2016. That means that she has very few ranking points to defend at this time of year, including at this week's upcoming tournament in Indian Wells. However, Serena Williams, the current World No. 1, does have some work to do to duplicate her success from a season ago. The situation as it is, the World No. 1 is back on Kerber's radar in California after losing top spot earlier this year.
Kerber did do not well at the Australian Open earlier this season, falling in the fourth round to Coco Vandeweghe. However, the German still has her run to the Wimbledon final and her US Open championship, among other results, still active. Despite a poor start to the 2017 season, her overall last 52 weeks have been strong.
BNP Paribas Open a major event
The rankings won't update again until after Indian Wells in a couple of week's time. However, on live rankings Serena Williams has fallen to the No. 2 position. Those aren't official rankings, but rather they take into account the current tournament round-for-round instead of waiting for the official updates afterward. Live-tennis.eu show Kerber as holding 7405 live points while Williams has 7140.
The two players are in a battle for top spot on tour in California, a tournament that will start this Thursday and that will then be played over the next week and a half.
Karolina Pliskova on the radar
Czech player Karolina Pliskova is also a player in the mix for the World No. 1 in the weeks ahead. She can't catch either Kerber or Williams in the rankings with the direct results from Indian Wells.
However, Pliskova can certainly get to the No. 1 ranking if she does well in Indian Wells and Miami combined. Last season, she made the semifinals in Indian Wells but lost in the round of 64 in Miami. If she can put together two deep runs in the tournaments this season, including one ending in a title, then she should find herself very much in the thick of things when it comes to the top spot on tour with the first rankings in April.
