WTA rankings: Osaka clings to top spot as Halep cuts gap

Naomi Osaka narrowly retained her number one ranking on Monday ahead of Simona Halep after the Romanian missed the chance to reclaim top spot following defeat in the Madrid Open final.

The 21-year-old Osaka lost in the last-eight in the Spanish capital, but the Japanese star will stay at the summit for at least another week as Halep was beaten 6-4, 6-4 by Kiki Bertens.

The Dutchwoman became the first woman to win Madrid without dropping a set and climbed to a career-high ranking of fourth following the biggest title of her career.

Angelique Kerber moved up one place to third, while last year's Madrid champion Petra Kvitova slipped three spots to fifth.

Switzerland's Belinda Bencic continued her resurgence by jumping from 18th to 15th after beating Osaka on her run to the semi-finals.