The 2017 WTA season saw ups and downs from individual players who made the highlights this year. Their actions only made next season interesting on how things would go in 2018. This year’s review shows what projections could be made going into the first Grand Slam in Australia. From players in the top ten to others who struggled to get into a steady contention; we look back on those moments and the ones to come.
Newly crowned world number one Simona Halep is obviously the one in the spotlight to begin things in the coming week. Her five finals appearances that included one at the French Open showed that the Romanian had the skills and endurance to fight on. While she only took one of those victories at Madrid, the will to achieve points during the season allowed her to hold on and attain the number one rank for the first time in her career. She would no doubt have many expectations put on her as well as a target on her back with many others vying for that spot.
Garbine Muguruza and Karolina Pliskova know the feeling of being at the top as they both made it there this season. The Spaniard’s victories at Wimbledon and Cincinnati brought together all the hard work of staying in tournaments to get her to that pinnacle point. The same could be said of the 25-year-old Czech star who went 56-18 winning Brisbane, Doha and Eastbourne. She proved her worth in three of the four slams giving her a chance to enjoy being at the top of the heap.
Despite losing seven finals matches this season, the tenacity of Caroline Wozniacki was unparalleled to anyone in the WTA Tour this year. The 27-year-old former number one had numerous successes from February all the way to October. The Dane gained a lot of points despite the struggles of losing championships that were always within her grasp. She put the losses aside during her run in Tokyo where she managed to win the Toray Pan Pacific Open in straight sets against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in straight sets.
“It feels great,” Wozniacki said about winning her first title this season. “It was really important for me to get there and just stay focused and aggressive and positive. I think I managed to do that, and it feels great to have won the title.” With the second win coming at the WTA Masters, the victory in Singapore was one she was happy to add to her accomplishments doing so in straight sets against Venus Williams.
Much like Wozniacki’s dominance on the court was that of Elina Svitolina who took her down on a few occasions. The Ukrainian had a lot of good runs early on leading to the racking up of titles. She stormed through February winning back to back titles in Taipei and Dubai before slowing things down in March to focus on the clay courts. She did work right away in Istanbul winning her third title before capturing the biggest one in Rome.
The 23-year-old made it look as if a Grand Slam title was on the horizon for her as her rank brought her into the top five before getting into the third position. The journey of winning her fifth title in Toronto brought her to a slight fatigue which resulted in her fighting to keep things going. She put together a personal best at the US Open but it was clear after Beijing that her season was coming to a close. The two losses she had at Singapore were tough but with plenty of good happening over six months, the Ukrainian had a lot of positivity to make a Grand Slam championship part of her repertoire.
One of the biggest surprises in women’s tennis has been of Latvia and its production of Jelena Ostapenko and Anastasija Sevastova. Since winning the French Open at the age of 19, Ostapenko has not shown any signs of being a one trick pony. Prior to the Grand Slam at Roland Garros, the Latvian proved her worth on the clay courts going deep at Charleston and Prague.
Her run at Wimbledon decimated her first two appearances giving Venus Williams a run for her money in the quarterfinals. She made the second half of the hard-court season count with fights during the Asian leg of the tour winning at Seoul. She not only became the first tennis player from her country to make the top ten but her seventh place finish was a lot to be proud of. The winner of three tournaments this season had her ready to not only improve in other cities but to show that she is a force to be reckoned with.
Ostapenko’s countrywoman has been nothing short of threatening since her quarterfinal finish at the 2016 US Open. In 2017, she gave a hard time to Wozniacki at Dubai and put together a strong finish in Madrid. Before the final slam in New York, the 27-year-old won her second WTA title with a hard three set win over Julia Goerges in Mallorca on the grass courts. It was her first title in seven years and a statement of her power on grass going 6-2 this season. She reached the quarterfinals again at the US Open despite losing to eventual champion Sloane Stephens. Her final statement of the year was just another hint at what she would bring in 2018.
What many wanted to see happen was the game of Eugenie Bouchard come together like it did in 2014. The Canadian has had bursts of success since then, but 2017 was the hardest for her to deal with. She went far in the tournament in Sydney losing to eventual champion Johanna Konta in the semifinals. She has come close since then going through coaches like they were paperclips. Consistency was the major problem for the 23-year-old and needed the right person to help her bring her popularity together with her game and find a balance that could give her a season full of wins more than losses.
One who also hoped to make a comeback was Swiss star Belinda Bencic who disappeared from the tour after her early exit in Miami. Bencic hasn’t seen her game match that of 2015 when she made four finals winning Eastbourne and Toronto with a massive match win over Serena Williams. The end of 2017 saw her in ITF competitions having dealt with a back injury in 2016 and a wrist injury that required surgery in May.
“After I got it in Indian Wells, Miami, it was a little bit of an issue and after that I pretty much decided I had to do that,” Bencic said. She is scheduled to play at the Hopman Cup this Saturday in what she hopes will be a preview of things to come and her return to regular action.
French star and 2013 Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli decided that retirement wasn’t fun and that she still had the competitive spirit. The 33-year-old who was in the top 20 from June. 2007 to Aug. 2013 had played since 2001 reaching the singles final of Wimbledon six years later. Over the course of her career, it was clear that grass was her strong suit going 57-25 overall and 9-1 inn 2011. She was ranked seventh but would have to climb back in order to regain her status of playing against elite opponents. The sport is a difficult one with many obstacles of high and low degrees of difficulty. The new year brings a hope of starting over again and giving yourself a chance of always putting your best foot forward.
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