Of course, not only the men had great breakout performances in 2024. Als the women had a lot of new stars on tour, some which have even cemented their spot in the top 10 for now, such as Jasmine Paolini or Emma Navarro. And others, such as Diana Shnaider or Linda Noskova have shown us glimpses into the WTA next gen, which might even be closer to the top than the male youngsters. So, who will be the surprise for the WTA 2025 season and who might take this final step?
The next Russian queen – Mirra Andreeva or Diana Shnaider?
I know these are not necessarily dark horses anymore, ranked within the top 20 and well on their way to become household names around the tour. But in 2024, the majority of finals was around Sabalenka, Swiatek, Gauff and the rest of the top 10. But the next Russian generation is very close to those names and might just have their say in bigger titles in 2024. Mirra Andreeva is the most promising of those players, ranked No. 15 in the world at just 17 years of age. She won her maiden WTA250 title last year in Romania and made her first Grand Slam semifinal appearance in Paris. But there is plenty of room for improvement for the youngster, who might not be as physical as Sabalenka or Gauff but plays a technical and varied game style that can hang with most players on tour. If she can improve her serve and mental game, she might be well on her way to the top 10 in 2025.
She might have fierce competition for the top spot within the Russian women though, in her occasional doubles partner Diana Shnaider. Her 2024 was incredibly successful with five total titles, four of them on the WTA tour level. She might not have had the big breakout on the Masters and Slam level yet, but her consistency and success on all surfaces is already impressive. Her fierce lefty game caused opponents problems on all surfaces and as a skilled doubles player, she can vary her game very well. It depends to be seen whether she can up her game on more step to compete at the highest level in Masters and Slams this year. With the WTA rankings being very close, her trend could go either way very fast, depending on how her season will look like.
The underrated players up next – Kudermetova and others
Next to those that have had good seasons already, the WTA also has quite a few unknown names on their roster which might get more and more familiar this year. Polina Kudermetova is not only the sister of former top 10 player Veronika, but she also has now overtaken her older sister in the rankings. With an impressive performance, she reached the Brisbane final, where she took a set off World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. Her next step is to qualify for the Australian Open main draw, something that her ranking will not ask her to do for the next Slams anymore. But in the form she is currently in, she definitely might be a contender for breakout player of the year.
American Ashlyn Krueger is another player that is knocking on that door, at just 20 years old and ranked just outside the top 50. She reached the Adelaid main draw as a lucky loser but is now already into quarters and might just improve further on that ranking. She was into the third round of the US Open last year for the first time and seems to be improving rapidly.
So is Australian teenager Maya Joint, who is currently into a maiden tour level quarterfinal in Hobart at just 18 years old. She had a wild card for the Australian Open mixed doubles last year, qualified for the US Open main draw and will now make her singles debut at this year’s home slam. The Australian tennis federation skipped their number one player Kimberly Birrell in wild cards this year and awarded on to Joint, who is seen as the biggest talent down under. Let’s see who the newcomer of the season for the WTA this year will be.
Honorable mentions – comeback kids and underdogs
Beside the names above there are certainly some others to mention, that either can take the final step towards the top or the first one into the spotlight in 2025. Let’s start with my prediction that Karolina Muchova will finish the year inside the top 5, she is just too powerful and variable for most players on tour (barring she stays healthy). Other tennis players on comeback tour that seem like a good bet for 2025 include Ons Jabeur and Sofia Kenin. Both, if physically and mentally fit, have top 10 potential easily and might be back to old strength again.
A player that impressed me at the United Cup was Chinese Xinyu Gao, who played well better than her career high No. 146 ranking. Last year’s Wimbledon surprise Lulu Sun is among others who want to establish themselves on tour, as are Elina Avanesyan and Katie Volynets. All in all, the WTA seems to be stable in the top spots but wide open if we go down further in the rankings. This allows new players and comebackers to increase rapidly throughout the year, something that I am more than excited about. What are your thoughts on 2025 WTA breakouts?
Read our thoughts on the 2025 breakout players on the ATP tour as well.
