Tennis' Biggest Flash-in-the-Pan Players of the Last 10 Years

Ernests Gulbis lost in the first round of the 2016 Miami Open, and hardly anyone noticed.

Just two years ago, he reached the semifinals of the French Open and became the first Latvian player to crack the ATP World Tour Top 10.

He's ranked No. 78 now and is 2-6 this season. After what appeared to be a breakthrough season in 2014, Gulbis has fallen in the rankings and is approaching obscurity. He's one of the biggest flash-in-the-pan tennis players in the last 10 years.

It takes distance and perspective to recognize a flash in the pan. In his or her moment, they look like the next big thing. Instead, they become a "whatever happened to...?"

Unlike the journeyman who scores an occasional upset, the flash in the pan soars to new heights and then nosedives.

Dustin Brown is a journeyman, not a flash in the pan. While Brown has never gotten anywhere close to Gulbis' Top 10 ranking, the German, also known as "Dreddy," has carved out a niche for himself as "a name" on the ATP Challenger Tour and a crowd-pleaser at Grand Slams. 

Flash-in-the-pan players are also different from has-beens. Has-beens, such as Francesca Schiavone, enjoyed sustained and consistent success on the tour. They've dropped off due to age or injury.

Robin Soderling and Victoria Duval are not on this list. Soderling was a top-tier player forced into early retirement due to illness. Duval, who had a flashy moment when she upset Sam Stosur at the 2013 U.S. Open, was only 18 when she learned she had cancer. She's making her comeback. 

You also won't find players such as Eugenie Bouchard or Sloane Stephens on this list. Both are under 24, still in the Top 50 and on the radar. 

The players on this list were "a thing," for a moment. They captured our attention as "ones to watch." Then, they swiftly faded out of view.

Ranked based on how steep their peak was compared to their rapid descent, the following are the biggest flash-in-the-pan tennis players in the last 10 years. 

Honorable Mention: Virginie Razzano

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Virginie Razzano hits a forehand during the 2015 French Open.

Virginie Razzano gets honorable mention because her flash-in-the-pan moment was more like one thunderous occasion. Razzano sent shock waves through the tennis world when she upset Serena Williams in the first round of the 2012 French Open.

It remains the only time Williams has ever lost in the first round of a Grand Slam. Razzano hasn't done much since. She's ranked No. 199.

Knocking off Williams will always put a player in the spotlight. However, Razzano lost in the following round that year. In fact, she's never advanced beyond the fourth round in any Grand Slam and rarely gets out of the second. 

Losing in the second round is not that big of a flash, even if her first-round victory made quite a splash. 

5. Sorana Cirstea

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Sorana Cirstea hits a backhand at the 2016 Rio Open.

Sorana Cirstea turns 26 in April. She's nowhere close to being over the hill. However, her career has been in reverse since her flash-in-the-pan moment in 2013. 

A power hitter, Cirstea turned pro in 2006 at age 16. Two years later she was already in the Top 40. So, when she reached the quarterfinals of the 2009 French Open, it seemed she was on that future-star trajectory. 

Then she tumbled in the rankings in what seemed like a predictable sophomore slump. So, when she surged in 2013, many thought that she's back to stay. That year, she reached the third round of the French Open and the finals at the Rogers Cup, where she lost to Serena.

Although Williams overwhelmed the teary-eyed Cirstea, it appeared the big-hitting Romanian would be a mainstay in the Top 10 soon.

Cirstea reached a career-high No. 21 that year. She dropped to No. 247 last year and is now ranked No. 147. 

She's playing on the ITF circuit these days. She's gone from that big $213,000 payday in Toronto three years ago to leaving tournaments with less than $1,500. 

4. Ernests Gulbis

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Latvias Ernests Gulbis returns the ball to French Gael Monfils during their first round match of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam, on February 9, 2016. / AFP / ANP / Koen Suyk / Netherlands OUT (Photo credit should read KOEN SUYK/

Gulbis is arguably more enigma than flash in the pan. 

However, his career since 2014 has that flash-in-the-pan feel. Gulbis has always shown promise. But his big splash came in 2014 at the French Open when he upset Roger Federer in the fourth round in a five-set thriller. Gulbis backed that win up with a quarterfinals victory over Tomas Berdych. 

Although he lost to Novak Djokovic in the semifinals, Gulbis appeared ready to put his rich-brat reputation behind him and take up residence among the elite players. 

Instead, Gulbis faltered. Last year, he fell prey to the injury bug. However, his game had fallen off before then. He is losing in the first round regularly now. 

3. Tamira Paszek

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Tamira Paszek serves during a match in Auckland, New Zealand.

Tamira Paszek just turned 25 in December and has been to the quarterfinals of Wimbledon twice. So why isn't anybody talking about her?

That's because she's fallen from a career-high No. 26 in 2013 to No. 120. 

In 2011, Paszek pulled off an upset over then-No. 6 Francesca Schiavone, runner-up at Roland Garros that year and the 2010 French Open champion. 

The then-21-year-old Paszek reached the quarterfinals, where she lost to Victoria Azarenka. The next year, Paszek returned to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. 

She hasn't advanced beyond the second round of a Grand Slam since. This year she made it through qualifying at the Australian Open but lost in the first round. 

2. Jerzy Janowicz

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Jerzy Janowicz shows his frustration during a loss at the 2016 Australian Open.

Jerzy Janowicz was considered one of the ATP's young guns when he reached the semifinals at Wimbledon in 2013. At 6"8', he was included in the new breed of tennis big men along with Milos Raonic and Juan Martin del Potro. 

Janowicz took the first set off hometown hero Andy Murray, who of course went on to claim a historic Wimbledon title. 

Since his rise to fame at Wimbledon, Janowicz has suffered from a rash of injuries and poor play. He's ranked No. 99. He lost in the first round of the Australian Open and hasn't played since. He skipped Indian Wells and Miami due to injury.

Does he have time to turn it around? He's only 25, so of course he does. But right now he's looking more like a supersized flash in the pan. 

1. Melanie Oudin

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Melanie Oudin at the 2013 Citi Open in Washington D.C.

Melanie Oudin lands at No. 1 because of the amount of attention she got during her Cinderella run at the 2009 U.S. Open and her subsequent struggles.

A wild card at the 2009 U.S. Open, the 17-year-old Oudin upset fourth-seeded Elena Dementieva and 2006 U.S. Open champion Maria Sharapova en route to the quarterfinals.

With her win over Sharapova, Oudin became a media darling and a household name overnight. She was the youngest woman to reach the U.S. Open quarterfinals since Serena in 1999. 

Although she reached a career-high No. 31, her play never lived up to the hype.

Last year, Oudin revealed she suffered from a heart ailment. It's the latest sad setback for a player who for a moment looked like a future superstar.