NEW YORK -- Venus Williams climbed five spots to No. 9 in the rankings Monday, meaning she and her sister, No. 7 Serena, are both in the top 10 for the first time in nearly two years -- even though both lost in straight sets at the U.S. Open to eventual champion Justine Henin.

Henin stayed at No. 1, while Open runner-up Svetlana Kuznetsova moved up two places to a career-best No. 2, followed by Jelena Jankovic. Maria Sharapova dropped from No. 2 to No. 4 after her title defense at Flushing Meadows ended with a third-round upset loss.

Led by No. 1 Roger Federer, who won his fourth consecutive U.S. Open title, the top seven in the men's rankings were unchanged. But David Ferrer rose from No. 15 to No. 8 by making his first Grand Slam semifinal.

Venus Williams returned to the top 10 for the first time since April 2006 by reaching the Open semifinals a year after missing the tournament with an injured wrist. Serena Williams, who lost to Henin in the quarterfinals, moved up from ninth.

The last time both sisters were ranked in the top 10 was the week of Sept. 19, 2005. Serena Williams fell out of the top 10 the next week and wound tumbling all the way down to 140th.

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press