Women’s Tennis Players to Watch

As Grand Slam season heats up, tennis fans are wondering if there are any up-and-coming players to watch out for. We’re all familiar with the Serenas, Venuses, Clisterses, and Sharapovas, and there’s a good chance that the winners of the upcoming tournaments will come from this small pool of proven champs, but we never known until the tournaments are over. Here are a few players to watch in the upcoming tournaments:
Agnieszka Radwanska: This 21-year-old Polish player has been turning heads since her Grand Slam debut at the 2007 US Open. Since then, she has made it to the quarter finals on three occasions, and her 2010 season is shaping to be impressive—that is, if she can maintain her consistency and trust her game enough to break down her opponents.
Radwanska has the smarts to set cunning strategies and adjust with the flow of the game, but it is possible to overpower her. Her skill at keeping her emotions in check could get her far this year.
Aravane Rezai: The French Rezai has been around for a few years, but she caught a lot of people’s attention with her defeat of Venus Williams in the final of the 2010 Madrid Open. Thanks to this performance, she has risen to a career-high ranking of 16, and expectations are high for the summer. Her Madrid win was no fluke; she dominated much of the match with forced errors and outright winners.
Analysts have long been saying that her serve could use a little work, but her groundstrokes are glorious. If she can make some final tweaks to her serve before heading into France and London, she could go far.
Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez: The Spanish Martinez Sanchez made her breakthrough at this year’s Italian Open, where she upset Francesca Schiavone, Caroline Wozniacki, and Lucie Safarova in the early rounds before similarly defeating Ana Ivanovic in the semifinals, then Jelena Jankovic in the final. This impressive run made her a top-20 player for the first time in her career. Currently sitting at 19, the 27-year-old hopes to reach even greater heights this summer.
Martinez Sanchez’s game differs from most of her competitors. Rather than hugging the baseline, she uses her strong lefty forehand to draw her opponents across the court before hitting a dropshot for the win. Her strong tactical approach could take her far in this year’s remaining tournaments.