The nature of the WTA at the end of the 2016 major championship season is very different from what anyone expected at the beginning of the year and the Australian Open in January. Which four players earned the highest marks?
Angelique Kerber
At the start of January, nobody would’ve guessed that the 28-year-old tour veteran would win two majors. The grueling three set victory over Karolina Pliskova not only gave her the second major title but also established her as the No. 1 player in the rankings. She is the first left-hander to win the U.S. Open since Monica Seles in 1992, and joins Seles and Martina Navratilova as the only lefties to be ranked No. 1 in the world. Kerber was crowned champion in Australia and New York. She was the runner-up at Wimbledon, silver medalist at the Rio Olympics, and champion in Stuttgart, her home tourney.
Kerber’s victory at the Australian Open came as a bolt from the blue. It came without any prior warning. In the past three years, Kerber made a solitary quarterfinal appearance at the Grand Slam level. Back then, she was solid but not great. After upsetting Serena Williams in the Australian Open final, even her diehards didn’t expect her to emulate her heroics or at the least build on her success, let alone challenge and then usurp Serena to take the No. 1 spot. Kerber has 54 wins and 14 losses this season. Her stats are far from dominant but she won matches that mattered. She became the first woman not named Serena to win two majors in the same year since 2007. She is no doubt the surprise WTA player of the year.
Serena Williams
Serena Williams is the true giant of the sport. She appeared in the first three major finals of the year, winning at SW19 and then successfully defending her semifinal points at the U.S. Open. She has had to fight injuries, pressure in big matches, expectations of breaking Steffi Graff’s records and the hot form of young players who change from tournament to tournament. Serena’s shoulder betrayed her at the Olympics, and she withdrew from Cincinnati. To a certain extent, that impact was seen at her home Slam. Serena is a commanding 38-6 on the year and was even more impressive 24-3 in the Grand Slams. She was more consistent then Kerber but her aging body, constant injuries and the rigors of the tour meant she participated only in eight tournaments. Her three and a half year reign at No. 1 in the WTA rankings is over, but Serena Williams still remains the best player in the game. She just didn’t have the best 2016. Kerber did.
Karolina Pliskova
Karolina Pliskova won her first Premier title in Cincinnati and defeated both Venus and Serena Williams to reach the final of the U.S. Open. Amazingly, even with all the weapons she possesses, she had not reached the second week in 17 previous majors. Stunning as it may sound, Pliskova also became only the fourth woman to beat both Williams sisters during the same Grand Slam tournament and the first since the 2009 U.S. Open when Kim Clijsters did the same.
The tall Czech is playing the best tennis of her career. She has four top-five wins, two titles, and is at a career high No. 6 in the rankings. With not much to defend in the Asian swing in terms of points, the tennis community could well see Pliskova rise even further.
Simona Halep
Simona Halep didn’t make a single Grand Slam semifinal this year but ran close in Flushing Meadows. The Romanian pushed the former world No. 1, Serena, to the brink but couldn’t get the win in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open. In a match filled with fabulous shotmaking and enthralling exchanges, Serena triumphed in three tightly contested sets. Under Darren Cahill, Halep has looked sharp and tactically smart. Be it defensive base liners or big serving and destructive ball bashers, she has had no problems beating them. She has wins over Kerber, Pliskova, Madison Keys, Agnieszka Radwanska and Svetlana Kuznetsova. Halep is a solid 40-14 on the year with three titles and is working hard to get better.
