A Slam-dunk No. 1?

Despite no major titles, Mauresmo climbs to top spot in WTA rankings

Amelie Mauresmo has only played in one Grand Slam final. AP

NEW YORK (AP) -- Amelie Mauresmo became just the second player to reach No. 1 in the WTA rankings without winning a Grand Slam title, while U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova rose to a career-high No. 6 on Monday.

At No. 9, Kuznetsova was the American Grand Slam's lowest-seeded champion in the Open era.

Roger Federer's U.S. Open title, making him the first man since 1988 to win three majors in a season, allowed him to double his lead over No. 2 Andy Roddick in the ATP entry rankings. Open runner-up Lleyton Hewitt moved up two spots to No. 3.

Mauresmo rose from No. 2 despite losing in the quarterfinals at Flushing Meadows. She's been to only one major final -- the 1999 Australian Open. The other woman to top the rankings without winning a Slam, Kim Clijsters, had just lost the French Open final to Henin-Hardenne when she first got to No. 1, then was also the runner-up at the U.S. Open and Australian Open.

"Hopefully, now the Grand Slams will follow," Mauresmo said last week. "It's all about building things step by step. This gives me an incentive to work and work."

Formerly top-ranked Justine Henin-Hardenne, who lost in the fourth round of the Open, dropped to No. 4.

Reigning French Open champion Anastasia Myskina moved up one place to a career-high No. 2, followed by Lindsay Davenport, Henin-Hardenne and U.S. Open runner-up Elena Dementieva.

Clijsters, out since the spring with a left wrist injury, is No. 7, followed by Jennifer Capriati, Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova, and Serena Williams. Venus Williams is No. 12.

In the ATP entry rankings, based on the past 52 weeks and used to determine seedings at tournaments, Federer went from a 1,390-point advantage over Roddick to a 2,990-point edge.

Open semifinalist Tim Henman follows Hewitt, with Guillermo Coria -- who missed the Open because of injury -- at No. 5. Andre Agassi is seventh.

Joachim Johansson, who upset defending champion Roddick in the quarterfinals last week, rose from No. 30 to a career-best No. 16.

In the ATP Champions Race, calculated with results at top tournaments this season, Federer has 1,087 points to Roddick's 647. Hewitt is third.