This year, three players lifted their games to new heights, and further invested life into the WTA Tour.
Starting 2018 ranked 68, Naomi Osaka is now number four in the world, and reigning US Open Champion, having beaten Serena Williams in that final.
Out of nowhere, it appears, has come Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka who began the year ranked 73, rose as high as 11 and is now at 15 (12 in the WTA Race), a feared opponent with a power game almost unparalleled.
Kiki Bertens rocketed into the top 30 in June 2016, and apart from a few weeks sneaking into the top twenty, she has stayed in the thirties all that time. Until 2018, where her clay court credentials extended to other surfaces, and she became one of the best in the game, now number 9 in the world, and one of those competing in the WTA Finals in Singapore.
As the year comes to a close, more women are surprising us with their stunning performances which have been reflected in both increased profiles and ranking jumps.
Anastasija Sevastova leapt from 35 to 16 last year, but struggled to make the move forward from the mid teens until her second half of this year where she won Bucharest in July, made the US Open semis, and was a Beijing finalist, moving her to 11.
Dayana Yastremska is the 18 year old excitement machine, who by winning the Hong Kong title, then defeating Garbiñe Muguruza on the way to a quarter final in Luxembourg, has leapt to a current 61. 188 at start of the year, and 110 just a few weeks back.
And now Ons Jabeur from Tunisia has set the Premier category tournament in Moscow alight with her all court attacking game, making her first WTA Tour final, following wins including those over Sloane Stephens and Anastasija Sevastova.
Starting 2018, Jabeur was ranked 89, but she began this tournament at 101. Now she is at 63, a career high improvement of twenty spots.
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