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Johannesburg - South Africa's number one tennis player Kevin Anderson took a significant giant leap to record his career-best world ranking on Monday.
The 6ft 8in Johannesburg-born big server catapulted from 96th place to 80th in the ATP rankings as a result of his sterling performance in reaching the semi-finals of the Atlanta Championships over the week-end.
It was the second time in his career that Anderson has reached a major ATP semi-final, enabling him to ascend to the highest singles ranking by a South African male player since Wesley Moodie was ranked 57th in 2005.
And, it would seem, Anderson has now stabilised his career after struggling to live up to the high expectations held out for him after his stunning victory over world number two Novak Djokovic in the Miami Open in 2008.
His successful run in Atlanta before losing a searing, big-serving 3hr battle against John Isner gained him 90 ranking points, more than R200 000 in prize money and automatic qualification for this week's Los Angles Open.
And a continuation of his impressive, stabilised play in Los Angeles could take him close to the 57th milestone set by Moodie five years ago.
South African Tennis Association CEO Ian Smith reiterated on Monday that Sata would leave no stone unturned in attempting to persuade Anderson to end his 18-month self-imposed exile from Davis Cup competition for the the vital World Group play-off against Germany in September.
"We need Anderson in the team in Germany if we are to have a fighting chance of making the elite World Group in 2011," added Smith. "It is as simple as that."
