Ranking the Top 25 Women After Wimbledon
25. Zarina Diyas (WTA Ranking: 33)
Mar 15, 2015; Indian Wells, CA, USA; Zarina Diyas (KAZ) during her match against Serena Williams (USA) at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Diyas followed her round of 16 appearance at Wimbledon last year with another second week appearance at the All England Club this year. By taking out Andrea Petkovic and pushing Maria Sharapova in two tight sets, Diyas made a strong case for a push into the top 30 later this year.
24. Samantha Stosur (WTA Ranking: 23)
May 25, 2015; Paris, France; Samantha Stosur (AUS) in action during her match against Madison Brengle (USA) on day two at Roland Garros. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
Grass has never been a friend of Stosur’s, so it was surprising to see her defeat Danka Kovinic and Urszula Radwanska with relative ease. And then she lost to Coco Vandeweghe 6-2, 6-0 in one of the worst performances of her career. Nevertheless, a round of 32 appearance on grass is acceptable enough for the Australian.
23. Ekaterina Makarova (WTA Ranking: 11)
May 24, 2015; Paris, France; Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) in action during her match against Louisa Chirico (USA) on day one of the 2015 French Open at Roland Garros. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
Oh Kate, what happened to you? After reaching the final four in Melbourne and a strong showing in Dubai, it seemed that Makarova may be capable of breaking into the WTA’s top 5. Instead, she’s fallen out of the top ten after failing to back up her quarterfinal showing from last year. After four consecutive appearances in the second week of the slams, a straight-sets second round loss to Magdalena Rybarikova really isn’t good enough.
22. Carla Suarez Navarro (WTA Ranking: 10)
Apr 4, 2015; Key Biscayne, FL, USA; Carla Suarez Navarro hits a backhand against Serena Williams (not pictured) in the women
It may be a string of bad match-ups. It may be the pressure of backing up her exemplary WTA results this year. Regardless, Suarez Navarro is having a dismal year at the slams in 2015. Yes, grass has never been her best surface. But don’t expect the Spaniard to climb further in the rankings until she learns to perform at the four most important tournaments in tennis.
21. Kristina Mladenovic (WTA Ranking: 35)
Mar 24, 2015; Key Biscayne, FL, USA; Kristina Mladenovic hits a backhand against Klara Koukalova (not pictured) on day one of the Miami Open at Crandon Park Tennis Center. Mladenovic won 6-4, 6-4. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
How is the Frenchwoman still lurking outside the top 30? After taking out Simona Halep in Birmingham on the way to the semifinals, Mladenovic pushed Victoria Azarenka in the third round of Wimbledon in two tight sets. She’s got a big game and a fantastic on-court presence. An inevitable seeding at the US Open will hopefully see her deeper into the year’s final grand slam.
Next: Numbers 16-20