JORDANNE Whiley is preparing for her next international wheelchair tennis tournament in the USA in May buoyed by a career best women’s singles world ranking.

As the British number one prepares to defend her women’s singles and doubles titles at next month’s Atlanta Open, she has moved ahead of Dutchwoman Marjolein Buis to be placed number five in the world for the very first time.

After the London 2012 women’s doubles bronze medallist ended March with back-to-back doubles titles in Baton Rouge and Pensacola, April started with a training camp at La Manga, Spain, funded by the Tennis Foundation and UK Sport through National Lottery support for player and coach development on the road to Rio 2016.

“As we have a 52-week roll-over ranking, it can happen that two weeks after my last tournament I move up, if tournaments are not in the same week every year,” said Halesowen's Whiley, who won the first Grand Slam title of her career January with victory in the women’s doubles at the Australian Open.

“It’s a big boost to earn my first my top five ranking and it will be another important few weeks, with Marjolein due to play in South Africa this month and me going to the USA again next month, but the La Manga camp has whetted my appetite for more success in the coming weeks and months.

“The working relationship with your coach is one of the most important things for any athlete and it was great for me and some of the other top Brits to be able to take our individual coaches and learn from each other. It will make a real difference, just as the support from UK Sport helped make my dreams of winning a Paralympic medal in London, winning my first Grand Slam title and becoming a top five ranked player possible. But I want to be No. 1 and Atlanta will be the next step towards trying to achieve that.”