The official 2020 L&S Tier list: WTA Edition

Tier 3: Next Gen Stars

Here’s the tier where it starts to count in the WTA. I could place 10 players, at minimum, who could all fit the mold of the “next big thing” in women’s tennis, but, like the other tiers on these lists, I’m going to narrow it down. For this one, I’ll run through four players who all havea large chance to be the next great star in women’s tennis, if they haven’t already begun on that trend, already.

Women’s tennis is incredibly young, and these three players have emerged out of the pack as the four best players (all under 22 years old) that will be superstars in the WTA: Naomi Osaka, Sofia Kenin, and Coco Gauff.

Osaka was on top of the tennis world after winning the 2018 US Open and the 2019 Australian Open in succession. She rose to #1 in the world shortly after and looked to be the next successor to the Williams sisters atop the tennis world. However, she hasn’t been able to continue her major success since then and has failed to go beyond the Round of 16 after her 2nd major. She ended 2019 on a strong note, however, as she won two consecutive events at the Pacific and Beijing Opens.

Osaka’s talent is next-level and she’s going to be one of the game’s top stars. At only 22 years old, professional stardom takes growing into; that’ll certainly lead to some consistencies in play. When all things are considered, she’s arguably in the best position given her strong service game. She’s currently third on tour in percentage of service games won (with 83.7%).

Kenin has recently burst out onto the scene, winning the 2020 Australian Open over Garbine Muguruza. She’s quickly shot herself into top five after winning another tournament, the Open 6ème Sens in March. She’s a formidable force moving forward on tour, and she’ll look to ride her hot streak into greener pastures and more major championships. At only 21 years old, it’s very possible.

Gauff is the player in American tennis that was needed. She broke out on tour at the 2019 Wimbledon Champions at only 15 years old. There, she stunned Venus Williams in the first round and rode her momentum into the Round of 16 before falling to eventual champion, Simona Halep.

She followed that performance with a Round of 32 appearance before losing to #1 seed, Naomi Osaka. Gauff got her revenge in 2020; she defeated Osaka in straight sets and advanced to the Round of 16 before losing to Kenin (the champion).

Gauff’s potential is off the charts. Now at only 16 years old, she’s already won a title (at the 2019 Upper Austria), where she defeated Kiki Bertens and Jelena Ostapenko on her way to the title. She became the first American under the age of 15 to break into the top 50 since 2005. She’s also a top-50 doubles player. At only 16 years old with her success, she’s going to be superstar on tour, that’s for certain.