Female tennis players who made their breakthrough in 2021
While established players like Ashleigh Barty, Aryna Sabalenka and Garbine Muguruza continue to be at the top of their games, the 2021 WTA season witnessed the rise of quite a few players.
From young talents who quickly ascended to the top to players who saw their perseverance rewarded after years of hard work, this year had it all. Here's a look at the WTA players who have made a breakthrough this season:
#1 Emma Raducanu
Emma Raducanu announced her arrival on the WTA scene with a fourth-round run at Wimbledon, though she had to withdraw from her match due to breathing difficulties. While she showed plenty of promise, no one could've predicted what was about to come.
At the US Open, she made her way into the main draw after winning three qualifying matches. Raducanu swept her way through the main draw too as she became the first qualifier in history to win a Grand Slam title. Playing fearless tennis, the teenager seemed unfazed while scripting history even as her experienced peers crumbled under the weight of expectations.
While her transition to the WTA tour following her Grand Slam triumph has been tough, with early losses in the few events she has played in, with time and experience, Raducanu is expected to scale even greater heights.
#2 Barbora Krejcikova
Barbora Krejcikova was already an established doubles player prior to 2021, winning multiple Grand Slams and climbing to No. 1 in the rankings. However, she failed to replicate her success in singles.
All that changed at last year's French Open in October as she capitalized on the absence of a number of key players to reach the fourth round, her best result in singles at any tournament up to that point.
Krejcikova carried that momentum into 2021 as well, slowly improving her performances, starting with reaching her maiden WTA 1000 final in singles and ultimately culminating in a Roland Garros victory. She continued performing well throughout the season, eventually qualifying for the WTA Finals for the first time in singles.
She won an additional two titles in singles at Prague and Strasbourg and reached a career-high ranking of number three. Krejcikova continued to enjoy success in doubles as well, winning the WTA Finals, the French Open and gold at the Tokyo Olympics.
#3 Leylah Fernandez
Leylah Fernandez made a positive start to the year as she won her maiden title at the Monterrey Open, but had a rather quiet season before the US Open, where she turned it all around.
Her path to her maiden Grand Slam final was remarkable as she defeated defending champion Naomi Osaka and former World No. 1 Angelique Kerber, along with top ten players Elina Svitolina and Aryna Sabalenka, all consecutively and in three sets to reach the title round, where she lost to Raducanu.
Her grit and determination has won her fans from all over the world, who now expect the young Canadian to fight for years to come.
#4 Anett Kontaveit
Anett Konatveit has been playing for more than five years on the WTA tour and even had considerable success as she broke into the top 15 in the rankings in 2019 and won her maiden WTA title in 2017. Based on the first half of the 2021 season, it looked like it'd be another average one for the Estonian, but she completely flipped the script for a major career breakthrough.
Kontaveit has been in sublime form since the end of August, compiling a 26-2 win-loss record and winning four titles to qualify for the WTA Finals for the first time. She made it to the final where she lost to Garbine Muguruza and ended the year ranked number seven.
#5 Paula Badosa
Paula Badosa has been making steady progress over the last few years and this season she finally took her career to the next level. She defeated World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty at the Charleston Open and that win seemed to be the catalyst for the Spaniard's transformation into a top player.
She reached her maiden semifinal at the WTA 1000 in Madrid, won her first title at the Serbia Open and concluded her successful clay season by reaching the quarterfinals of the French Open. She followed it up with a fourth-round appearance at Wimbledon and the quarterfinals at the Tokyo Olympics, having to retire from the latter due to a heatstroke.
Badosa won the biggest title of her career at the BNP Paribas Open over two-time Grand Slam winner Victoria Azarenka. Following this win she made her top 10 debut and qualified for the WTA Finals as well, where she reached the semifinals.
#6 Maria Sakkari
After playing for half a decade on the WTA tour and making slow but steady progress, Maria Sakkari finally had a breakthrough in 2021. She reached her maiden Grand Slam semifinal at Roland Garros, where she even held match points but couldn't get across the finish line. She followed it up with another last four showing at the US Open.
After reaching her third career final at the Ostrava Open, Sakkari made her top ten debut at the age of 26. Her consistent showing throughout the year -- she reached another four semifinals -- resulted in a debut at the WTA Finals, where she yet again lost in the semifinal stage. Sakkari also tallied nine top-10 wins this year, more than any other player.
#7 Ons Jabeur
Ons Jabeur's ascent to the top was a historic one as she continued to break barriers for Arab women. She reached her second Grand Slam quarterfinal at Wimbledon after saving match points and throwing up court-side during her third-round match against Muguruza.
She reached three finals this season and won her maiden title at the Birmingham Open, becoming the first Arab woman to do so. She also reached her first WTA 1000 semifinal at Indian Wells and as a result of that performance she became the first Arab player ever to break into the top 10. She was ranked seventh in the world.
Jabeur was also in contention for a spot in the WTA Finals, but Kontaveit's late-season surge ensured the Estonian moved past her to clinch the final spot.
These women have played brilliantly throughout the year and will be keen to dominate the WTA tour once again when the 2022 season starts in a few weeks.