Doctor/Lawyer Red Devil
Talk Tennis Guru
That's it for women's tennis in 2018.
Both ladies that reached the number 1 ranking, had consistency but previously didn't deliver where it mattered the most, finally won a Major title. Another experienced player recovered from last year's slump to taste biggest success in this season. A youngster broke through on that level as well. The greatest one didn't add any titles but showed the ability that she can still compete for them. The last WTA Finals in Singapore featured many dramatic matches and lower ranked players succeeding over the very best. Overall, it's been a season to remember for many.
She has sealed a second consecutive Year-End #1 finish. But more importantly than that, at long last Simona Halep has triumphed at a Slam. The Romanian nearly completed one of the most demanding runs in recent memory at the Australian Open as she came back from the dead and saved match points on two separate occasions before the final, but lost it in a tight three setter to Caroline Wozniacki, temporarily losing her number one ranking to her for a month. However, after going deep in Madrid and Rome, she was nearly flawless on the biggest clay tournament, beating three Slam champions in the last three rounds, including an impressive comeback in the final from a set and a break down against Sloane Stephens. The Romanian had another memorable match with her American rival and prevailed again in the final of Montreal, while missing out on Cincinnati one week later by one point to Kiki Bertens. Her early exit at the US Open and injury slightly ruined the great impression of her year, however Simona has created a gap big enough to seal the YE #1 for the second season running anyway, and will always remember 2018 as the season when she finally got all the Slam pressure off her shoulders.
The YE #1 in 2010 and 2011 Caroline Wozniacki was a point away from an early round loss down under but came back and went all the way at the Australian Open, winning her first Slam and climbing back to the top of the world as a result of that. Unfortunately, she didn't back that up for the rest of the season so losing the number one ranking was inevitable. Early losses combined with leg and knee injury problems in the second half of the year resulted in the Dane winning only two more tournaments - the grass event in Eastbourne, and Beijing title, while she ended her WTA Finals defense in round robin stage, winning just one match out of the three. The worst thing however was being diagnosed with the incurable rheumatoid arthritis prior to the US Open. Probably very relieved that she achieved her biggest goal early in the year, Caroline will now try to prolong what is left of her career.
Having experienced a big nosedive in 2017 and going out of the top 20, Angelique Kerber is now back among the best players. She didn't have success in terms of winning tournaments in the next few months, but at least she was going deeper in them, resulting in constant improvement in the rankings. The timing of her form couldn't have been better, as when Wimbledon started, she only dropped one set for the whole tournament, crowning her fortnight by avenging her 2016 final loss to Serena Williams and beating her on the same stage. The remainder of her season was worse but Angie ended it as the world number 2, and now having three out of four Slams in her trophy cabinet.
She regressed last year, however in 2018 the powerful youngster Naomi Osaka justified all the hype she got recently. Already at the Australian Open she registered her best Grand Slam result which was the fourth round, while her official announcement to the tennis world was winning her first career title at Indian Wells, dropping only one set for the whole tournament. Her form during the middle of the season was mediocre as she only matched her best Roland Garros and Wimbledon results, but she found a whole new level in New York at the US Open. Dropping only seven games in the first three rounds and only one set for the entire two weeks, the Japanese sealed her first Grand Slam victory with a straight sets win over her idol Serena Williams in a heated final. Thanks to that result and a couple of deep runs during the Asian swing, Naomi reached the career high ranking of number 4.
For the most part, Elina Svitolina has done the same thing she did last season. Success at Premier events while failing to make a semifinal run at any of the Slams. Starting with a title in Brisbane, she lost in the Australian Open quarterfinal. After that, she successfully defended her Dubai and Rome titles, but suffered early losses at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon, eventually changing her coach after the Grand Slams finished. She barely qualified to WTA Finals in Singapore. But once she got there, the Ukrainian produced her best tennis. Played five matches and won all five of them, winning her biggest title to date, ending the year as the fourth in the world and giving herself some needed confidence boost for the future, where she will want to make a statement at the Majors.
When it comes to other players, Petra Kvitova has had a very good 2018, winning five titles which is more than anyone else, returning to the top 5 and eventually qualifying to Singapore. Sloane Stephens has won only one title this season in Miami and lost the other three tournament finals but the American is building on some consistency which is good news for her. Karolina Pliskova has been rather static recently, usually ending her journeys in quarterfinals and semifinals of the bigger tournaments so she didn't experience any noticeable improvement or drop in her rankings despite two titles. Kiki Bertens had her best season to date, winning three titles and beating a total of four top 10 players to win Cincinnati, while she used Halep's withdrawal by reaching the Singapore semifinal as the alternate. Daria Kasatkina and Aryna Sabalenka are two youngsters who have made some steady progress in 2018, breaking into the top 10 late in the season. Finally, Serena Williams made it to the final of Wimbledon and US Open, ultimately being denied on both occasions, but she has shown no desire to quit chasing more Majors despite being 37 years old. From youngsters, through already established players all the way to the veterans, everyone had their say in 2018.
The gallery:
Brisbane International
Elina Svitolina (def. Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-2 6-1)
Shenzhen Open
Simona Halep (def. Katerina Siniakova 6-1 2-6 6-0)
Auckland Open
Julia Goerges (def. Caroline Wozniacki 6-4 7-6(4))
Sydney International
Angelique Kerber (def. Ashleigh Barty 6-4 6-4)
Hobart International
Elise Mertens (def. Mihaela Buzarnescu 6-1 4-6 6-3)
Australian Open, Melbourne
Caroline Wozniacki (def. Simona Halep 7-6(2) 3-6 6-4)
St Petersburg Ladies Trophy
Petra Kvitova (def. Kristina Mladenovic 6-1 6-2)
Taiwan Open
Timea Babos (def. Kateryna Kozlova 7-5 6-1)
Qatar Open, Doha
Petra Kvitova (def. Garbine Muguruza 3-6 6-3 6-4)
Dubai Tennis Championships
Elina Svitolina (def. Daria Kasatkina 6-4 6-0)
Hungarian Ladies Open, Budapest
Alison Van Uytvanck (def. Dominika Cibulkova 6-3 3-6 7-5)
Mexican Open, Acapulco
Lesia Tsurenko (def. Stefanie Voegele 5-7 7-6(2) 6-2)
Indian Wells
Naomi Osaka (def. Daria Kasatkina 6-3 6-2)
Miami Open
Sloane Stephens (def. Jelena Ostapenko 7-6(5) 6-1)
Both ladies that reached the number 1 ranking, had consistency but previously didn't deliver where it mattered the most, finally won a Major title. Another experienced player recovered from last year's slump to taste biggest success in this season. A youngster broke through on that level as well. The greatest one didn't add any titles but showed the ability that she can still compete for them. The last WTA Finals in Singapore featured many dramatic matches and lower ranked players succeeding over the very best. Overall, it's been a season to remember for many.
She has sealed a second consecutive Year-End #1 finish. But more importantly than that, at long last Simona Halep has triumphed at a Slam. The Romanian nearly completed one of the most demanding runs in recent memory at the Australian Open as she came back from the dead and saved match points on two separate occasions before the final, but lost it in a tight three setter to Caroline Wozniacki, temporarily losing her number one ranking to her for a month. However, after going deep in Madrid and Rome, she was nearly flawless on the biggest clay tournament, beating three Slam champions in the last three rounds, including an impressive comeback in the final from a set and a break down against Sloane Stephens. The Romanian had another memorable match with her American rival and prevailed again in the final of Montreal, while missing out on Cincinnati one week later by one point to Kiki Bertens. Her early exit at the US Open and injury slightly ruined the great impression of her year, however Simona has created a gap big enough to seal the YE #1 for the second season running anyway, and will always remember 2018 as the season when she finally got all the Slam pressure off her shoulders.
The YE #1 in 2010 and 2011 Caroline Wozniacki was a point away from an early round loss down under but came back and went all the way at the Australian Open, winning her first Slam and climbing back to the top of the world as a result of that. Unfortunately, she didn't back that up for the rest of the season so losing the number one ranking was inevitable. Early losses combined with leg and knee injury problems in the second half of the year resulted in the Dane winning only two more tournaments - the grass event in Eastbourne, and Beijing title, while she ended her WTA Finals defense in round robin stage, winning just one match out of the three. The worst thing however was being diagnosed with the incurable rheumatoid arthritis prior to the US Open. Probably very relieved that she achieved her biggest goal early in the year, Caroline will now try to prolong what is left of her career.
Having experienced a big nosedive in 2017 and going out of the top 20, Angelique Kerber is now back among the best players. She didn't have success in terms of winning tournaments in the next few months, but at least she was going deeper in them, resulting in constant improvement in the rankings. The timing of her form couldn't have been better, as when Wimbledon started, she only dropped one set for the whole tournament, crowning her fortnight by avenging her 2016 final loss to Serena Williams and beating her on the same stage. The remainder of her season was worse but Angie ended it as the world number 2, and now having three out of four Slams in her trophy cabinet.
She regressed last year, however in 2018 the powerful youngster Naomi Osaka justified all the hype she got recently. Already at the Australian Open she registered her best Grand Slam result which was the fourth round, while her official announcement to the tennis world was winning her first career title at Indian Wells, dropping only one set for the whole tournament. Her form during the middle of the season was mediocre as she only matched her best Roland Garros and Wimbledon results, but she found a whole new level in New York at the US Open. Dropping only seven games in the first three rounds and only one set for the entire two weeks, the Japanese sealed her first Grand Slam victory with a straight sets win over her idol Serena Williams in a heated final. Thanks to that result and a couple of deep runs during the Asian swing, Naomi reached the career high ranking of number 4.
For the most part, Elina Svitolina has done the same thing she did last season. Success at Premier events while failing to make a semifinal run at any of the Slams. Starting with a title in Brisbane, she lost in the Australian Open quarterfinal. After that, she successfully defended her Dubai and Rome titles, but suffered early losses at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon, eventually changing her coach after the Grand Slams finished. She barely qualified to WTA Finals in Singapore. But once she got there, the Ukrainian produced her best tennis. Played five matches and won all five of them, winning her biggest title to date, ending the year as the fourth in the world and giving herself some needed confidence boost for the future, where she will want to make a statement at the Majors.
When it comes to other players, Petra Kvitova has had a very good 2018, winning five titles which is more than anyone else, returning to the top 5 and eventually qualifying to Singapore. Sloane Stephens has won only one title this season in Miami and lost the other three tournament finals but the American is building on some consistency which is good news for her. Karolina Pliskova has been rather static recently, usually ending her journeys in quarterfinals and semifinals of the bigger tournaments so she didn't experience any noticeable improvement or drop in her rankings despite two titles. Kiki Bertens had her best season to date, winning three titles and beating a total of four top 10 players to win Cincinnati, while she used Halep's withdrawal by reaching the Singapore semifinal as the alternate. Daria Kasatkina and Aryna Sabalenka are two youngsters who have made some steady progress in 2018, breaking into the top 10 late in the season. Finally, Serena Williams made it to the final of Wimbledon and US Open, ultimately being denied on both occasions, but she has shown no desire to quit chasing more Majors despite being 37 years old. From youngsters, through already established players all the way to the veterans, everyone had their say in 2018.
The gallery:
Brisbane International
Elina Svitolina (def. Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-2 6-1)
Shenzhen Open
Simona Halep (def. Katerina Siniakova 6-1 2-6 6-0)
Auckland Open
Julia Goerges (def. Caroline Wozniacki 6-4 7-6(4))
Sydney International
Angelique Kerber (def. Ashleigh Barty 6-4 6-4)
Hobart International
Elise Mertens (def. Mihaela Buzarnescu 6-1 4-6 6-3)
Australian Open, Melbourne
Caroline Wozniacki (def. Simona Halep 7-6(2) 3-6 6-4)
St Petersburg Ladies Trophy
Petra Kvitova (def. Kristina Mladenovic 6-1 6-2)
Taiwan Open
Timea Babos (def. Kateryna Kozlova 7-5 6-1)
Qatar Open, Doha
Petra Kvitova (def. Garbine Muguruza 3-6 6-3 6-4)
Dubai Tennis Championships
Elina Svitolina (def. Daria Kasatkina 6-4 6-0)
Hungarian Ladies Open, Budapest
Alison Van Uytvanck (def. Dominika Cibulkova 6-3 3-6 7-5)
Mexican Open, Acapulco
Lesia Tsurenko (def. Stefanie Voegele 5-7 7-6(2) 6-2)
Indian Wells
Naomi Osaka (def. Daria Kasatkina 6-3 6-2)
Miami Open
Sloane Stephens (def. Jelena Ostapenko 7-6(5) 6-1)
Last edited:
Thanks for the correction.
