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Top 10 Rising Stars of 2017: WTA

After an exciting and unpredictable year of tennis, EXPERIENCE is looking back at some of the year's best moments in our 2017 "Top 10" series. Today we highlight the top 10 rising stars in women's tennis. Our age criteria for being a "rising star" in women's tennis: must be under 21 years of age. As you'll see, we rank these players not just by their season ending ranking, but by overall impact at big events and potential going forward. So while some players ranked inside the top 100 don't make this list, that's not because they aren't great players. We feel that these 10 showed the most improvement in 2017.

By: Joey Hanf

10. Dayana Yastremska
Ukraine, WTA #188
Age: 17 years, 7 months

Yastremska burst onto the scene by taking out former world no. 9 Andrea Petkovic in route to reaching the quarterfinals of a WTA International event in Istanbul. She followed up that result by reaching the Wimbledon Girls Final this summer. Not only is her name fun to say, but she's a very fun player to watch. She attacks at will and is able to play offensive on fast and slow surfaces; a trait many players would be envious of. She won a $60K title and reached the final of another $100,000K event in September. She seems to play "up" very well, often competing with players ranked well above her. Over a 100 place ranking jump sets her up for a big 2018, where she'll look to make a bigger impact at the major tournaments.

9. Sofia Kenin
United States, WTA #108
Age: 19 years, 1 month

Kenin had a stellar junior career and has translated her game well into the pro ranks. She is one of the most consistent players on this list, and also one of the best competitors. Take a look at her 2017 results and you'll notice: a)she played A LOT of tournaments and b)she hardly ever loses first round. Her game is predicated on solid play from the baseline, mixing up spins and paces. Her career result came in New York where she reached the third round of the U.S. Open, and faced off against Maria Sharapova on Arthur Ashe stadium. Overall she did fantastic, nearly taking the first set over the 5 time major champion. She needs to improve in a couple of areas to continue her progression: 1)winning more big matches and 2)adding in a more aggressive portion to her game. She loves the drop shot, has great feel, and will definitely will be one to watch in 2018.

8. Destanee Aiava
Australia, WTA #153
Age: 17 years, 7 months

Aiava started, and finished 2017 with a bang. She started the year in her home country by qualifying and then beating Bethanie Mattek-Sands at the Premier level event in Brisbane. She then won two $25K events, also held in Australia. She had a rocky middle of the year, but once she got back on home soil she excelled once again, reaching a $60K final in Canberra before winning Australian Open Wild Card Playoff in December. Her big game is already good and has lots of room for potential. She's got a great first serve and powerful, flat groundstrokes. She made a 150+ ranking jump and clearly looks primed for more. But she'll need to improve outside of Australia to further cement herself as a premiere young player.

7. Aryna Sabalenka
Belarus, WTA #73
Age: 19 years, 7 months

Sabalenka was very much under the radar until the latter portions of the year. The Belarusian had spent most of her time on the ITF circuit, but made a huge splash in the last three months of the season. First, she reached the final of a WTA International in Tianjin, nearly beating Maria Sharapova in the final. Then she upset U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens in the Fed Cup final. She didn't stop there; in November she captured her first WTA title at the $125K tournament in Mumbai. Her game is similar to many on this list; aggressive from the baseline. She has a slight hitch on her forehand, and needs a little bit more time on that shot. With most of her points being accrued at the tail end of the year, look out for Sabalenka to make a big rise in the first half of 2018.

6. Bianca Andreescu
Canada, WTA #190
Age: 17 years, 6 months

This Canadian with Romanian roots is an incredible athlete for her age. Just 17, she moves explosively and gets to balls that most can only dream of. She made her first career WTA appearance this year in Washington D.C., where she made the quarterfinals, including a win over Kristina Mladenovic. She has been commended by her peers and coaches as already being one of the hardest working players on tour, which is a great sign for her future. While she may be the lowest ranked player on this list, Andreescu's ceiling is very high.

5. Amanda Anisimova
United States, WTA #182
Age: 16 years, 3 months

By far the youngest on the list, Anisimova's game has received praise from nearly everybody in the tennis industry. She jumped nearly 600(!!) places in the WTA rankings this year, her first year playing primarily pro events. She won the U.S. Open Junior title in September without dropping a set. While she struggled a bit to finish the season, Anisimova's game is incredibly mature for a 16 year old. She is tall, long and great ball striker. Her backhand is near perfect, and her forehand is coming along nicely. She won her first pro title at the $60K in Sacramento, and reached three other ITF finals in 2017. Because of her young age, WTA rules limit the number of WTA tournaments she can play in a season. Most USTA coaches I've spoken to are adamant that Anisimova will one day be a top 10 player. She works hard and always wants more; a good recipe for success.

4. Marketa Vondrousova
Czech Republic, WTA #67
Age: 18 years, 5 months

Vondrousova tallied the most match wins of any player on this list; a staggering 60 wins. That's even more impressive when you note that she didn't compete in October or November. She moved up over 300 places in the rankings and is set to be playing exclusively on the WTA tour in 2018. She won 5 titles, including the Trnava $100K and WTA International in Biel. The only lefty on this list, Vondrousova is supremely talented and has perhaps the most compelling game of any young player. She mixes points up with the drop shot, but make no mistake, she an crush the ball from the baseline too. If she can continue to hone her "leftiness", there's no reason the Czech star can't break the top 20 next year.

3. CiCi Bellis
United States, ATP #61
Age: 18 years, 8 months

It was a solid year for Bellis, following up on a great 2016 campaign. And while overall she didn't pick up as many wins or titles as other son the list, the American played elite competition throughout the year at an extremely young age. She made the quarterfinals of the Premier 5 in Dubai, including a signature win over Agnieszka Radwanka. She also reached the third round of the French Open, where she nearly beat Caroline Wozniacki. If you haven't noticed the theme yet, Bellis' season was highlighted by her performances at big events. She reached the semifinals at her home event in Stanford, including a win over Petra Kvitova. CiCi has been in the spotlight for nearly four years now, and she has handled the pressure very well, all things considered. Her best trait is her competitive fire, and if she can continue to improve her balance and stability on court, this teen phenom will continue her steady rise.

2. Daria Kasatkina
Russia, WTA #4
Age: 20 years, 8 months

She took home #1 in our shots of the year list, and she nearly got there again. Kasatkina, a "veteran" amongst players in this age group, had a great year, establishing herself as a significant factor at every tournament she plays. She won a Premier title in Charleston over the #1 player on this list (SPOILER ALERT!), Jelena Ostapenko. She also beat the Latvian at the U.S. Open. Her biggest win rankings wise came over Simona Halep(2) in Wuhan. Kasatkina plays a much more topspin-heavy game than most women, and her forehand can cause a lot of trouble for opponents. And while she might not have already won a major like her main rival, Kasatkina was consistently solid last year and has the game to be a top 20, top 10 player for many years.

1. Jelena Ostapenko
Latvia, WTA #7
Age: 20 years, 7 months

It's hard to believe that the 2017 French Open champion was having to qualify for multiple clay court tournaments earlier in the year, including Rome and Stuttgart. Ostapenko has to come in at no. 1; she shocked the world by winning the French Open in a stunning display. The Latvian has no fear on court and will go for winners from any position. Equally impressive, Ostapenko backed up her major win by showing she could compete on different surfaces, reaching the quarterfinals of Wimbledon and winning a hard court title in Seoul. She is brash, self-assertive and most of all entertaining. Her reactions on court are amongst the best on the WTA. Obviously it will be extremely difficult to improve her results in 2018, but if Ostapenko can maintain a top 10 ranking position, she will put herself in contention for majors every time she plays.

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Top 10 Rising Stars of 2017

Top 10 Rising Stars of 2017: WTA

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