The next generation is knocking on the door
These young up-and-comers are promising to turn heads at this year’s tournament
There will come a time, in the not-sodistant future, when such names as Williams, Kerber and Wozniacki represent the old guard of women’s tennis, and not the leading edge.
Racing to take the place of today’s champs on the leaderboard is a new generation of international racquet swingers whose games prove they’re the ones to watch.
These five WTA players, none older than 21, will all be vying for triumph at this year’s Rogers Cup in Toronto. Get to know these names. You’ll be hearing a lot from them. Ana Konjuh, Croatia WTA rank: 21 Age: 19 The former No. 1 junior in the world hasn’t let a potentially career-dampening elbow surgery in 2014 slow her ascent. At Wimbledon in July, Konjuh was the youngest player left standing before she was ultimately ousted by Venus Williams.
Simply facing Williams at the prestigious tournament was notable, considering the Croatian up-andcomer wasn’t even born when Williams, then 17, played her first-ever grand slam final at the 1997 U.S. Open. Catherine (CiCi) Bellis, U.S. WTA rank: 43 Age: 18 The American rising star first made a name for herself in 2014 when, at only 15, she stunned 12th-ranked Dominika Cibulkova at the U.S. Open and became the youngest woman to win a match at that tournament since 1996.
Last year, she broke into the WTA top 100 and has since continued climbing. She won the Tevlin Women’s Challenger tournament in Toronto in November.
Could her return to Toronto soil see similar results? Jelena Ostapenko, Latvia WTA rank: 12 Age: 20 One of the most surprising wins in recent grand slam history was delivered by Ostapenko at the French Open in June. The 20-year-old defeated Romania’s Simona Halep, ranked second, to earn her first grand slam championship — and a reputation as an aggressive, tactical player climbing in the rankings. She’s a young’un to beat at this year’s Rogers Cup. Donna Vekic, Croatia WTA rank: 50 Age: 21 She’s only 21, but Vekic looks to be poised for a comeback. After falling out of the WTA top100 for a couple of years, she has soared 39 spots in the rankings in the past six months, to her current and personal best, No. 52. Her shining moment came at the 2017 Nottingham Open, where she became the surprise champion after overthrowing fourth-ranked British player Johanna Konta. Daria Kasatkina, Russia WTA rank: 33 Age: 20 This year has been stellar for this relative newcomer. She met and beat No. 3 player Angelique Kerber twice, made it to her first WTA final and won her first WTA title, when she bested Ostapenko at the 2017 Volvo Car Open in Charleston to win her first WTA event. That’s a lot of momentum heading into Rogers Cup.