WTA: Top Five Rivalries to Look Out For

The 2019 tennis season is would commence in a few weeks time. The fans around the would be excited to catch up with interesting matches during the tour. Here are some top rivals from the WTA courts who are anticipated to engage the audience and keep them stick to their television sets in the 2019 season.

5. Naomi Osaka and Elina Svitolina (Head to Head: 2-3)

Osaka and Svitolina have been the celebrated ladies of the tennis season 2018. The 21-year-old Naomi Osaka made a breakthrough in her tennis career this year. She picked up her first WTA title at the Indian Wells. In the second half of the season, she clinched her maiden at the Flushing Meadows. The Ukrainian, Elina Svitolina was the champion at 2018 WTA Tour Finals in Singapore. She defeated Sloane Stephens  3–6, 6–2, 6–2 and claimed the biggest achievement in her career. This year the Osaka and Svitolina met in Dubai and Miami and Svitolina prevailed over the Japanese in both the events. In the 2019 season, it would be an amusing time for the audience to watch the ladies compete against each other. Additionally, Svitlona concluded the year as World Number four.

4. Angelique Kerber and Serena Williams (Head to Head: 3-6)   

The WTA gems, Angelique and Serena have met nine times on the tennis courts and one-third of their meetings were held at a Grand Slam final. This year, Kerber hampered Serena from winning her 21st straight Wimbledon match as she defeated Williams in the SW19 major final, 6-3, 6-3 and avenged the 2016 Wimbledon final loss from the American. The German wrapped up the year as the World Number two tennis player and Serena ameliorated her ranking to World Number 16 since her maternity hiatus. Hopefully, in the upcoming season, they would engage the tennis spectators with enthralling matches. 

3. Sloane Stephens and Simona Halep (Head to Head: 2-7) 

The French Open final on the dame’s arena was filled with excitement. The United States was anticipating their new generation of tennis to defend the title in Paris and Romanians were looking forward to ending their 40-year long Grand Slam wait. It was Halep who lived her 13-year old dream and clinched the Suzanne-Lenglen cup by surpassing Stephens 3-6, 6-4, 6-1. They also met in the Rogers Cup final this year and landed up playing a captivating championship match. The Romanian won over Stephans 7–6 (8-6), 3–6, 6–4 in the Canada Open finals. The audience would rejoice their matches against each other in the 2019 season.

2. Caroline Wozniacki and Simona Halep (Head to Head: 5-2)

The ladies final in the Rod Laver Arena was an unforgettable match this year. None of the viewers around the world could predict until the end that who would seize the title. Both the women were playing for their first Slam and tussled on the court for almost three hours. Wozniacki and Halep’s total points won tallied to 110 and 108 respectively, with a lead of two points the Dane became the new champion, stamped out her Slam-less Number one title which she bore for a long time and returned to the World Number one position after six years. She received a 6-7, 6-3, 4-6 victory against the Romanian and Wozniacki has won the past four meetings against Halep.

1. Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka (Head to Head: 0-2)

The 2018 US Open final on the women’s court is widely called to be the controversial final match. However, beyond the obvious, it was a very special match for the 21year-old Japanese in her career. Osaka had growing up watching Serena play. Also, she picked up a tennis racket because her father was inspired by watching the Williams sisters play at the 1999 French Open. She has crowned a Grand Slam champion by overthrowing the legend, Serena Williams in the Flushing Meadows final. This year she also defeated Serena in Miami. Osaka finished the year at Number five position on the list of WTA Ranking.