WTA Tennis has, for years, seen a dominating list of stars at the very top of the sport. The Williams sisters in particular had become the gatekeepers of success within top-level women’s tennis. The hands of time catch up with everyone, though, and even their legendary staying power and on-court quality has slowly waned in recent years. This has opened up the door for the next generation to come along.
While Romanian tennis star Simona Halep has arguably taken the crown as the top female player of the last few years, others show immense promise. Victoria Azaranka and Aryna Sabalenka are just two examples of a highly exciting generation of young players coming through. Chief among them, though, could be the outstanding American teenager Coco Gauff.
Gauff has become one of the headline names on the WTA circuit. An exceptional playing standard mixed with a bubbly and effervescent personality makes her a highly interesting contender. Other exciting players rising up the game today include the likes of Ashleigh Barty, Sofia Kenin, and Naomi Osaka. For many fans, though, Gauff might just be the most exciting of any player on the WTA circuit.
A rise to the top
Growing all the time into the comfortable skin of a top level athlete who will achieve greatness, Gauff has taken early stardom in her stride. And this goes to show as he continues to show a transformative change to her game, continuing to show new abilities and experience every time she steps out onto the tennis court.
While she is not yet a the very top of the rankings, she has reached an all-time personal high. The top three include Barty, Halep, and Osaka. All three have won major tournaments in recent times and show a consistent winning streak that Gauff is likely to challenge in the years to come.
While the likes of Sabalenka, who won her seventh title against compatriot Azarenka, show immense promise, American fans are particularly focused on where Gauff goes next. She has now moved up eight spots and is now in the Top 50 of the WTA Rankings. She was previously ranked at 55th, but impressive form has seen her rise up to 47th spot on the rankings.
This is a career-high ranking, and easily puts her as one of the youngest players in the Top 50. She came through a tough qualifying section for Ostrava before she nearly took out Sabalenka herself in a Last Sixteen tie that went to the wire. She fought back from a double break to come back to beat Gauff in a pulsating match.
For fans of the youngster, though, it was clear signs of progress. Taking someone of the quality of Sabalenka so close in such a tight and challenging match is something worthy of respect. Now in the top 50, it won’t be long before we see the young Gauff moving ever-closer to that highly impressive Top 10 spot. And from there, who knows?