Five players who made biggest jump in WTA rankings in 2024

The Naomi Osaka journey from unranked to No. 59 in WTA rankings stands out among her peers.

As the regular tennis season comes to a close, on-court action on the WTA Tour in 2024 saw plenty of movers in the rankings. New stars arrived on the scene even as familiar faces reclaimed lost ground.

Aryna Sabalenka was the standout player in 2024 on the WTA Tour. The recently concluded season saw the Belarusian win the Australian Open and US Open. She also became the year-end No. #1 for the first time. 

Among the players who significantly improved their rankings were Naomi Osaka and Emma Navarro. We take a look at five women who made the most of their 2024 season to make considerable progress in the WTA rankings.

5. Emma Navarro – (No. 31 to No. 8)

Emma Navarro’s rise to a career-high of No. #8 was helped by a semi-final appearance in Auckland and a title run in Hobart to kick off her 2024 season. Navarro’s strong start in January fetched her a maiden WTA title, the Hobart International, where she downed Elise Mertens in the final.

The American continued her fine form, reaching the semi-finals of the Toronto WTA 1000 and the US Open. Navarro beat defending champion Coco Gauff in the last eight before losing to eventual winner Aryna Sabalenka in the last four.

4. Anna Kalinskaya – (No. 80 to No. 14)

Anna Kalinskaya climbed 66 spots to attain a new milestone in the WTA Rankings. She became the World No. #17 in June from No. #24, breaking into the top 20 for the first time. The Russian made it to a career-high of No. #11 before settling in as the WTA No. #14 to ensure a finish among the top 15 ranked players. 

Though Kalinskaya could not wrest a title, she came close on more than one occasion. The 26-year-old earned two championship round appearances in Dubai and later in Berlin. 

Earlier in the season, she made her first quarter-final appearance at a Grand Slam. Kalinskaya made the last eight at the Australian Open played in January. She was ranked No. 75, at this time last year.

Also Read: Five players who made biggest jump in ATP rankings in 2024

3. Lulu Sun – (No. 214 to No. 39)

Lulu Sun, the 23-year-old New Zealander, enjoyed a breakout 2024 season, climbing from World No. #214 to No. #39 in the WTA rankings. The stellar effort saw the young Kiwi being crowned the WTA Tour’s Newcomer of the Year.

Sun wound up her 2024 campaign ranked 40 thanks to a quarter-final run at Wimbledon as a qualifier. Her trip to the last eight took her past eighth seed Qinwen Zheng in the first round and Emma Raducanu in the last 16.  The Kiwi’s win over Zheng was her first over a top 10 player. She also made her first WTA-level final in Monterrey, Mexico.

2. Emma Raducanu – (No. 301 to No. 57)

Emma Raducanu will be heading into 2025 in a buoyant mood after finishing inside the top 60 and posting some strong results this year in the grass-court season. In the Billie Jean King Cup, she extended her unbeaten run to 5-0 for Great Britain. However, her effort could not salvage the draw for England as they crashed out with a 2-1 defeat to Slovakia.

The 22-year-old Briton has been on the comeback trail after missing out on most of the 2023 season. Raducanu’s surgery on both wrists and her left ankle last season dropped her to No. #301 at the beginning of the year. She dropped two spots to No. #303 in April 2024 before the 2021 US Open champion clawed her way back into the spotlight to finish the year ranked 57th in the WTA rankings.

Also Read: Five women’s tennis players who got banned for doping

1. Naomi Osaka – (Unranked to No. 58)

Perhaps the most outstanding of comeback tales in the 2024 season belongs to Naomi Osaka. The four-time Grand Slam winner was unranked when she returned to the tour at the beginning of the season. The 27-year-old is making a comeback after spending more than a year away from the sport. She has made a strong statement by finishing the year as World No. #58. 

Osaka displayed flashes of brilliance that had catapulted her to the World No. #1 ranking in 2019. The Japanese player nearly caused a huge upset at the French Open, where she came within a point of knocking out defending champion Iga Swiatek in the second round. She reached the last eight at the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 event in Doha, her best result this year.

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