Weeks 35 & 36 - US Open Tennis Championships, Flushing Meadows, NYC - Hard

ROSAMUND · Futures level

RE: Weeks 35 & 36 - US Open Tennis Championships, Flushing Meadows, NYC - Hard

seagull · Hall of fame

Who was number 1?

ROSAMUND · Futures level

ROSAMUND wrote:
Looking back over the junior world rankings of 2015 one notes that No. 2 Vondrousova and No.4 Andreescu have both reached Grand Slam singles finals in 2019. Unfortunately from a British point of view No. 3 Katie Swan doesn't look like she will emulate them. One should also add that soon after Paris Vondrousova suffered a wrist problem and has only won 1 match since Paris.

It was another player who hasn't made it yet. The player is Dalma Galfi of Hungary who has played against both Heather and Katie B in the Fed Cup.

indiana · Tennis legend

Also, I see that in the coming week's WTA International in Nanchang, China, Emily WS is playing Xu Shilin in QR1.

Born 1998, now 21, that's another former junior #1 from about the same time that is still far from the senior upper echelons. Currently WR 215, her CH is 190 from May this year.

There will no doubt be a huge range of senior outcomes for top junior ranked players. I don't know if anyone has done stats on say top 5 or 10 ranked juniors.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

The problem with junior rankings is the bottle-neck problem.

Each year (or max, each two years, say) there is a completely new batch of top 10 or top 20 (or top whatever) junior players.

But the adult rankings do not turn over in the same way. Indeed, as per the men, once they're there, they're there to stay, it seems. Being top 20 from age 22 to 35, say, is quite possible.

So you've got approx 8-10 times the number of top juniors as can ever possibly be accommodated in the top adults.

And that's not even counting the non-top 20 juniors who also make it.

So there simply HAS to be a lot who don't transition - there just isn't room.

ROSAMUND · Futures level

indiana wrote:
Also, I see that in the coming week's WTA International in Nanchang, China, Emily WS is playing Xu Shilin in QR1.

Born 1998, now 21, that's another former junior #1 from about the same time that is still far from the senior upper echelons. Currently WR 215, her CH is 190 from May this year.

There will no doubt be a huge range of senior outcomes for top junior ranked players. I don't know if anyone has done stats on say top 5 or 10 ranked juniors.

I had a look at the top 5 juniors from 2010 onwards and up to 2015 most of the top 5 have made the top 100 at some stage.

2010 was 1. Gavrilova 2. Svitolina 3 L. Davis 4. Puig Briefly 5. Khromacheva.

2011 was 2 Barty 4. Bouchard 5. Garcia Briefly 1. Khromacheva 3.Mestach.

2012 was 1. Townsend 2. Siniakova 3. Bouchard 4. Konjuh (later serious elbow problems) Not top 100 Lottner

2013 was 1. Bencic 2. Konjuh 5. Jorovic Not top 100 3. Flink 5 . Krejcikova (but successful doubles player)

2014 was 1. Bellis(another injury spoilt career) 4. Teichman 5. Kasatkina Not top 100 2. Shilin Xu 3. Shymanovich

2015 was 2. Vondrousova 4. Andreescu 5. Blinkova Not top 100 1. Galfi 3. Swan

2016 maybe not too late for some but was 1. Potapova 5. Anisimova

2017 maybe too soon for some but 3. Rybakina

2018 2. Cori Gauff

Unfortunately from a British point of view Katie Swan is amongst those who have not made the top 100 even if she did enjoy the support of the Murray family. Injury seems to have done for both Bellis and Konjuh.

Ace Ventura · Tennis legend

Very interesting ROSAMUND. Here's a link if anyone wants to go further back, or look at top 10 etc. - www.itftennis.com/juniors/rankings/year-end-rankings.aspx

It would also be interesting to see who benefited most from wildcards to help fast track their development. The bigger the tennis nation, the more you'd expect, but some will have worked their way up the rankings the harder way.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

And it ties in very well with the bottle-neck stats i.e. the top 5 juniors stand a very good chance of making the top 100 adults. That's 1 to 20.

ROSAMUND · Futures level

As an aside to successful juniors becoming successful adult players here is another question? Does anybody know who subsequently has had the most successful singles career of the 64 girls who took part in junior Wimbledon 2008 which Laura Robson won? As a clue it will not require going through the record of the 64 players concerned as they were a late developer and have had a big impact in 2019.

the addict · Tennis legend

I cheated and looked at the draw - so many familiar names from the current WTA tour. And I guessed the answer before looking.

indiana · Tennis legend

Yes Bianca !!!

flamingowings · All-time great

Well, that was nervy.

scottie1 · Futures level

so pleased Bianca won the future of women's tennis. 4 finals Serena has lost in a row the sands of time are catching up with her.

ROSAMUND · Futures level

Serena hasn't won any finals since beating Venus in the 2017 Aussie final. The last final she won before that was Wimbledon 2016 beating Angie Kerber in the final. Time catches up with everybody in the end.

indiana · Tennis legend

Respect to Serena for the way she started striking the ball and came back in that second set. But then at the conclusion of that set she once again couldn't get the job done. And it is only likely to get more difficult for her.