Doctor/Lawyer Red Devil
Talk Tennis Guru
The curtain comes down on WTA for this year.
What we got this time is two new world number 1 players for the season, a teenage future star, a couple of new Slam winners, two champions backing up their success from last season, the great veteran repeating the runs to Major finals from last year but falling short again ...
She finished last season 15th on the WTA list, while she has finished this one as the best player in the world. 5 years after leaving tennis in favor of professional cricket and 3 years after returning to this sport, Ashleigh Barty has produced an incredible rise to the top. She has reached six tournament finals, more than anyone else in 2019, and had success on all surfaces, triumphing in Miami, then dropping only two sets at Roland Garros en route to winning her first Slam, as well as Birmingham on grass, which rewarded her with becoming the world number 1 for the first time in her career. It also marked the first time since 1976 that an Australian was on top of the WTA list. She temporarily lost it to Osaka but once the Japanese failed to defend the US Open, Barty returned to the top spot. A great finish to the season, reaching the Beijing final and winning the WTA Finals on her debut, dethroning the defending champion in the final, secured a YE #1 for Barty, who became the first woman outside Europe and United States to finish the year as the best in the world.
Winning last year's US Open didn't have any later negative impact on her, as Naomi Osaka confirmed her status as one of the best players in years to come early in 2019. At the Australian Open, she went through four three-set matches and prevailed in a dramatic final over Petra Kvitova, winning her second Slam title, becoming world number 1 for the first time and joining the company of greatest players who followed up their US Open titles with a trophy down under in the following season. Surprisingly, Osaka split with her coach soon after, and her drop in results was noticeable for months. A good finish to the season, winning Pan Pacific Open and Beijing, eventually resulted in her finishing the year as world number 3.
It's been a while since the last time a teenager made such a great impression. Bianca Andreescu had an amazing breakthrough season. Starting the year by reaching the Auckland final as a qualifier, the Canadian's first moment of glory happened in Indian Wells. As a wildcard, she went all the way there, winning seven matches and beating Kerber for her first career title. Shoulder injury forced her to miss most of the clay season and Wimbledon but once she recovered, Bianca continued to produce great results. In front of her crowd in Toronto, she went on to beat three top 10 players, with Serena's retirement in the final confirming a Rogers Cup title. That was a great boost for the US Open, where in her first main draw appearance, Andreescu once again met Serena in the final, managing to hold off the American's comeback and hostile crowd for her first Grand Slam title. Injury problems made her withdraw from the WTA finals, but she can have no complaints with a 5th place finish and three big titles.
Perhaps the most well established top player in recent years and the year end number 1 for the past two seasons Simona Halep hasn’t displayed her usual consistency this time. She has finished the season 4th in the rankings, playing only three tournament finals, winning one title. But the Romanian couldn’t have won at a better place, as she dropped only one set at Wimbledon, crowning her finest fortnight on grass and perhaps her whole career in the last two rounds, dropping only 3 games against Svitolina in the semifinal and only 4 games against Serena in the final. After struggling to get over the finish line at the Majors until last year, Simona is now a multiple Slam champion.
Although she is still trying to win that elusive Major title after having some tight losses again, Karolina Pliskova had a good 2019, winning 4 titles, on all surfaces. Combined with several deeper runs at Premier events, as well as Australian Open semifinal after pulling off one of the greatest comebacks against Serena, and WTA Finals semifinal appearance, she finished the year 2nd in the rankings, her finest year end ranking. Petra Kvitova started the year well, reaching the Australian Open final, losing narrowly to Osaka. Dubai final and Stuttgart title were her other biggest highlights, and thanks to her deep runs at most Premier events, she qualified for the final tournament of the year. Elina Svitolina got through the Slam quarterfinal hurdle, reaching the last four at Wimbledon and US Open, but she showed no great results in Premier events like she used to, resulting in barely qualifying for WTA Finals, where she lost the final and finished the year with no titles. Belinda Bencic had a breakthrough with a Dubai title, Indian Wells and Madrid semis and most notably the US Open semifinal, while with a win at the Kremlin Cup she qualified for the Finals in Shenzhen, where she was among the last four. Serena Williams continued with her light schedule, clearly focusing on winning another Slam. Just like last year, she was part of the final match at Wimbledon and US Open, but once again her opponents were inspired as Halep and Andreescu were victorious. Kiki Bertens had a similar season to the previous one, this time winning her first Premier Mandatory title in Madrid and playing Zhuhai final, eventually participating for two matches in Shenzhen as first alternate. Sofia Kenin also had that opportunity for one match, as three titles as well as semifinals in Canada and Cincinnati got her on the brink of the top 10 breakthrough. Coco Gauff attracted huge interest at Wimbledon, as she became the youngest player to reach the main draw through qualifiers, and she went all the way to the fourth round, beating Venus Williams in her first main draw match. A 3rd round appearance at the US Open followed, while the 15 year old American also won her first title in Linz as, a lucky loser, becoming the youngest tournament winner in 15 years.
The gallery:
Brisbane International
Karolina Pliskova (def. Lesia Tsurenko 4-6 7-5 6-2)
Shenzhen Open
Aryna Sabalenka (def. Alison Riske 4-6 7-6(2) 6-3)
Auckland Open
Julia Goerges (def. Bianca Andreescu 2-6 7-5 6-1)
Sydney International
Petra Kvitova (def. Ashleigh Barty 1-6 7-5 7-6(3))
Hobart International
Sofia Kenin (def. Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 6-3 6-0)
Australian Open, Melbourne
Naomi Osaka (def. Petra Kvitova 7-6(2) 5-7 6-4)
St Petersburg Ladies Trophy
Kiki Bertens (def. Donna Vekic 7-6(2) 6-4)
Thailand Open
Dayana Yastremska (def. Ajla Tomljanovic 6-2 2-6 7-6(3))
Qatar Open, Doha
Elise Mertens (def. Simona Halep 3-6 6-4 6-3)
Dubai Tennis Championships
Belinda Bencic (def. Petra Kvitova 6-3 1-6 6-2)
Hungarian Ladies Open, Budapest
Alison Van Uytvanck (def. Marketa Vondrousova 1-6 7-5 6-2)
Mexican Open, Acapulco
Wang Yafan (def. Sofia Kenin 1-6 7-5 6-2)
Indian Wells
Bianca Andreescu (def. Angelique Kerber 6-4 3-6 6-4)
Miami Open
Ashleigh Barty (def. Karolina Pliskova 7-6(1) 6-3)
What we got this time is two new world number 1 players for the season, a teenage future star, a couple of new Slam winners, two champions backing up their success from last season, the great veteran repeating the runs to Major finals from last year but falling short again ...
She finished last season 15th on the WTA list, while she has finished this one as the best player in the world. 5 years after leaving tennis in favor of professional cricket and 3 years after returning to this sport, Ashleigh Barty has produced an incredible rise to the top. She has reached six tournament finals, more than anyone else in 2019, and had success on all surfaces, triumphing in Miami, then dropping only two sets at Roland Garros en route to winning her first Slam, as well as Birmingham on grass, which rewarded her with becoming the world number 1 for the first time in her career. It also marked the first time since 1976 that an Australian was on top of the WTA list. She temporarily lost it to Osaka but once the Japanese failed to defend the US Open, Barty returned to the top spot. A great finish to the season, reaching the Beijing final and winning the WTA Finals on her debut, dethroning the defending champion in the final, secured a YE #1 for Barty, who became the first woman outside Europe and United States to finish the year as the best in the world.
Winning last year's US Open didn't have any later negative impact on her, as Naomi Osaka confirmed her status as one of the best players in years to come early in 2019. At the Australian Open, she went through four three-set matches and prevailed in a dramatic final over Petra Kvitova, winning her second Slam title, becoming world number 1 for the first time and joining the company of greatest players who followed up their US Open titles with a trophy down under in the following season. Surprisingly, Osaka split with her coach soon after, and her drop in results was noticeable for months. A good finish to the season, winning Pan Pacific Open and Beijing, eventually resulted in her finishing the year as world number 3.
It's been a while since the last time a teenager made such a great impression. Bianca Andreescu had an amazing breakthrough season. Starting the year by reaching the Auckland final as a qualifier, the Canadian's first moment of glory happened in Indian Wells. As a wildcard, she went all the way there, winning seven matches and beating Kerber for her first career title. Shoulder injury forced her to miss most of the clay season and Wimbledon but once she recovered, Bianca continued to produce great results. In front of her crowd in Toronto, she went on to beat three top 10 players, with Serena's retirement in the final confirming a Rogers Cup title. That was a great boost for the US Open, where in her first main draw appearance, Andreescu once again met Serena in the final, managing to hold off the American's comeback and hostile crowd for her first Grand Slam title. Injury problems made her withdraw from the WTA finals, but she can have no complaints with a 5th place finish and three big titles.
Perhaps the most well established top player in recent years and the year end number 1 for the past two seasons Simona Halep hasn’t displayed her usual consistency this time. She has finished the season 4th in the rankings, playing only three tournament finals, winning one title. But the Romanian couldn’t have won at a better place, as she dropped only one set at Wimbledon, crowning her finest fortnight on grass and perhaps her whole career in the last two rounds, dropping only 3 games against Svitolina in the semifinal and only 4 games against Serena in the final. After struggling to get over the finish line at the Majors until last year, Simona is now a multiple Slam champion.
Although she is still trying to win that elusive Major title after having some tight losses again, Karolina Pliskova had a good 2019, winning 4 titles, on all surfaces. Combined with several deeper runs at Premier events, as well as Australian Open semifinal after pulling off one of the greatest comebacks against Serena, and WTA Finals semifinal appearance, she finished the year 2nd in the rankings, her finest year end ranking. Petra Kvitova started the year well, reaching the Australian Open final, losing narrowly to Osaka. Dubai final and Stuttgart title were her other biggest highlights, and thanks to her deep runs at most Premier events, she qualified for the final tournament of the year. Elina Svitolina got through the Slam quarterfinal hurdle, reaching the last four at Wimbledon and US Open, but she showed no great results in Premier events like she used to, resulting in barely qualifying for WTA Finals, where she lost the final and finished the year with no titles. Belinda Bencic had a breakthrough with a Dubai title, Indian Wells and Madrid semis and most notably the US Open semifinal, while with a win at the Kremlin Cup she qualified for the Finals in Shenzhen, where she was among the last four. Serena Williams continued with her light schedule, clearly focusing on winning another Slam. Just like last year, she was part of the final match at Wimbledon and US Open, but once again her opponents were inspired as Halep and Andreescu were victorious. Kiki Bertens had a similar season to the previous one, this time winning her first Premier Mandatory title in Madrid and playing Zhuhai final, eventually participating for two matches in Shenzhen as first alternate. Sofia Kenin also had that opportunity for one match, as three titles as well as semifinals in Canada and Cincinnati got her on the brink of the top 10 breakthrough. Coco Gauff attracted huge interest at Wimbledon, as she became the youngest player to reach the main draw through qualifiers, and she went all the way to the fourth round, beating Venus Williams in her first main draw match. A 3rd round appearance at the US Open followed, while the 15 year old American also won her first title in Linz as, a lucky loser, becoming the youngest tournament winner in 15 years.
The gallery:
Brisbane International
Karolina Pliskova (def. Lesia Tsurenko 4-6 7-5 6-2)
Shenzhen Open
Aryna Sabalenka (def. Alison Riske 4-6 7-6(2) 6-3)
Auckland Open
Julia Goerges (def. Bianca Andreescu 2-6 7-5 6-1)
Sydney International
Petra Kvitova (def. Ashleigh Barty 1-6 7-5 7-6(3))
Hobart International
Sofia Kenin (def. Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 6-3 6-0)
Australian Open, Melbourne
Naomi Osaka (def. Petra Kvitova 7-6(2) 5-7 6-4)
St Petersburg Ladies Trophy
Kiki Bertens (def. Donna Vekic 7-6(2) 6-4)
Thailand Open
Dayana Yastremska (def. Ajla Tomljanovic 6-2 2-6 7-6(3))
Qatar Open, Doha
Elise Mertens (def. Simona Halep 3-6 6-4 6-3)
Dubai Tennis Championships
Belinda Bencic (def. Petra Kvitova 6-3 1-6 6-2)
Hungarian Ladies Open, Budapest
Alison Van Uytvanck (def. Marketa Vondrousova 1-6 7-5 6-2)
Mexican Open, Acapulco
Wang Yafan (def. Sofia Kenin 1-6 7-5 6-2)
Indian Wells
Bianca Andreescu (def. Angelique Kerber 6-4 3-6 6-4)
Miami Open
Ashleigh Barty (def. Karolina Pliskova 7-6(1) 6-3)
