Ranking the Top 5 WTA Young Players

After Eugenie Bouchard’s dazzling run to the semifinal of the Australian Open, the 20-year-old is now being dubbed as the new "Golden Girl" of women’s tennis. However, those of you that follow the WTA closely will have noticed a surge of young talent coming through—all desperate to become the next Maria Sharapova. So, who is most likely to make the biggest impact on the WTA in the near future?

The only criteria a player needs to adhere to in order to be eligible for my top five is that they have to be under 21. My judgments will be based on what potential they have demonstrated in their junior careers and in their briefs stint in the WTA.

With regards to "impact," I am looking at which players have the ability to win Grand Slams, or to become a threat to the world's top five on a regular basis throughout their careers.

There are many players who could carve out excellent careers for themselves and become regular top-20 WTA players for many years, but I am judging this on which young stars are most likely to be remembered for many years after their careers are over.

Honorable Mentions

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Sadly I don't have a crystal ball, so many of my picks could come back to bite me. Any of these players could easily have made my top five as they have all displayed considerable talent at such young ages. The future is definitely bright for the WTA.

Sloane Stephens (pictured): This time last year, the talk was all about the 20-year-old. The American famously knocked out her compatriot, and world No. 1, Serena Williams to reach the semifinals of the Australian Open. 2013 was a stellar year for Stephens, and—like Eugenie Bouchard—she showed a temperament beyond her young years. She dealt with the pressure of being thrust into the limelight incredibly well, ending the year ranked No. 12 in the world.

Despite a slow start to 2014, Stephens will no doubt use last year’s experience to her advantage, her game and mentality being so brilliantly consistent for someone so young. If she can develop a weapon from the back of the court, the world No. 18 could become a force to be reckoned with for a very long time. However, she is just days away from her 21st birthday so she misses out on my top five.

Annika Beck: She is probably the unluckiest player not to be included in my top five. The German got to the Luxembourg Open final in October last year and has started 2014 in similar fashion by reaching the semifinals in Shenzhen. The 20-year-old backed that up with a terrific run in Dubai, where she beat Eugenie Bouchard in the final round of qualifying before dispatching of 2011 US Open champion Sam Stosur in Round 1. At 5'7", generating enough power to hurt the top players may be an issue, but as the likes of Justine Henin—and more recently Sara Errani and Dominika Cibulkova—have proved, you don't need to be tall to reach Grand Slam finals. 

Elina Svitolina: The Ukranian won the French Open at just 15 years old and possesses a devilish serve. Although she can be a little inconsistent from the back of the court, the 19-year-old has the weapons to hurt the top players. She has made a bright start in 2014, beating both Roberta Vinci and Svetlana Kuznetsova. Svitolina will no doubt get more consistent as she gets older and gains more experience on the WTA circuit.

Monica Puig: The dangerous Miami-based Puerto Rican big-hitter will be very tough to beat on the quicker courts, particularly if she is timing the ball well. You have to feel a breakthrough tournament is just around the corner for the 20-year-old.

No. 5: Laura Robson

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It would be easy to forget about the British No. 1. The 20-year-old has had a number of niggling injuries and struggled with her form after an excellent run to the fourth round of Wimbledon in 2013. Nonetheless, the player who won junior Wimbledon aged just 14 simply has too much talent to be overlooked as a future major winner. 

The Londoner has demonstrated that she has the weapons to hurt players ranked in the world’s top 10, with wins in 2013 over Petra Kvitova at the Australian Open, Maria Kirilenko at Wimbledon and Agnieszka Radwanska at the Madrid Open. The former world No. 37 has also shown that she can deal with pressure and media scrutiny, with her achievements both as a junior and last year at her home Grand Slam.

Robson has also finally settled on a new coach, the experienced Nick Saviano. If the world No. 54 can get a consistent rhythm going on her serve—and stay injury-free—the Brit could be a major factor on the women's circuit for years to come.

No. 4: Garbine Muguruza

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In all honesty, I felt I had to include either Garbine Muguruza or Annika Beck after they both have had such great starts 2014. In the end, I went with Muguruza, as I believe she possesses a few more weapons than her German counterpart. 

After a year of injury problems in 2013, the Spaniard shocked everyone when she came through qualifying and won her first WTA title in Hobart this year. The 20-year-old showed that the result was no one-tournament wonder by beating Caroline Wozniacki at the Australian Open just a few days later. The Barcelona-based player was also a game away from claiming her second title of the year in Florianopolis before she lost her concentration at a vital time and paid for it.

If she can tidy up those understandable lapses in concentration, the world No. 32 has all the tools to be a prominent figure on the WTA for years to come. She has powerful shots all over the court and has spent a lot of time training on clay, so her defence is in tact too. There are very few perceived holes in her game.

No. 3: Madison Keys

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After Eugenie Bouchard's recent 20th birthday, Madison Keys is now the only teenager in the world's top 40.

The lack of U.S. talent in the men’s game has been well documented, but on the women’s side there is plenty to be excited about. One massive reason is the big-hitting Keys.

The young 19-year-old has a huge serve, as well as the weapons from the back of the court to back it up. Keys beat Serena Williams when she was just 14 years old, and simply blew away Li Na at the Madrid Open last year. Her temperament and focus during big points are also spot on.

The only thing she lacked in 2013 was consistency from match to match, but that will no doubt come with time for the American.

The Florida-based teen had a fine win over Simona Halep in Sydney this year, and you feel her first WTA title is just around the corner. Her aggressive style and composed attitude mean that she has all the ingredients to become a multiple Grand Slam winner.

No. 2: Eugenie Bouchard

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The 2010 Junior Wimbledon champion has received a lot of press attention since her performance and infamous post-match interview with Sam Smith at the Australian Open. However, for me it was another interview that she did a couple of rounds before her quarterfinal victory that said the most about her character and potential.

In the ESPN studio, Bouchard showed great maturity, focus and belief for a then-19-year-old playing in her first ever Australian Open. Despite the distractions of the marketing world and the attention from predominantly male fans, Bouchard’s head seems in the right place. The Canadian’s on-court attitude, obvious talent and determination which she showed throughout the first Slam of the year suggest that she will be a major force in the upper echelons of the sport for years to come.

Whilst her results in recent tournaments since the Australian Open haven't been anything to write home about, I was lucky enough to comment on her Fed Cup performances, where she was firmly under the spotlight in front of her home fans. Again, the Canadian showed maturity beyond her years, expertly dealing with the pressure and dropping just four games in her two singles matches. The 20-year-old has the skills to hurt all of the top players, and—if she can continue to keep her feet on the ground—she could go right to the top of the game.

No. 1: Belinda Bencic

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So, many of you may have been expecting Eugenie Bouchard to top my list, and it might be very early to predict Belinda Bencic to have a bigger impact on the women's game than her Canadian counterpart. However, not since Martina Hingis has there been so much hype about a young 16-year-old.

There are also plenty of connections to Hingis. Bencic is Swiss for one, but she also works with the former world No. 1's mother Melanie Molitor and possesses a similar style of game.

Bencic has been dominant on the junior circuit for the last two years, winning the girls' singles titles at the French Open and Wimbledon in 2013.

However, the reason I have put her at the top of my list is because of her recent results at the WTA level. She qualified and then beat Kimiko Date-Krumm in Round 1 of the Australian Open, before very nearly taking a set from the eventual winner Li Na. The Chinese star also compared her to Martina Hingis.

Yet, it was performances in her recent Fed Cup tie for Switzerland that I found most impressive. It was not only the fact that she beat two experienced pros in Alize Cornet and Virginie Razzano, but it was the manner that the 16 year-old won that was remarkable. Bencic bossed the majority of points against them, and yet—despite playing in front of a loud French crowd—was incredibly calm and composed on the big points.

If she continues on her trajectory, the Swiss youngster could possibly dominate women's tennis for some time.