No. 15: Jelena Ostapenko
The strong veteran can nail the ball with her variable strokes. The Swiss has gone deep when she is on top of it. Eight years ago, she won the Roland Garros, but she lost somewhat earlier, becoming when she is frustrated. The Latvian has been with some super long matches and pulled it off, but she also has lost, with some odd decisions. She does have an opportunity to do very deep at the Slams again, but to do it, then she will have to be much more calm and thoughtful.
No. 14: Anna Kalinskaya
She can go up and down, month after month, but the Russian played in Dubai in February, winning seven matches until she finally lost in the finals. She upset with Ostapenko, Coco Gauff, and Iga Swiatek before she went down against Jasmine Paolini 7-5 in the third. So clearly, her legs are strong. However, she can drop for months, losing way too early, but in June, she reached the final again, in Berlin, out-hitting Vika Azarenka and finally losing versus Jessica Pegula. After that, she struggled, playing way too much. If she can change a few things, then in the court, and to be more suitable, she can go deeper weekly. She will have to.
No. 13: Diana Shnaider
The 20-year-old is already rising, ending the year when she won Hong Kong. She always seems to push herself; even then, she can lose against the top players, but she will try to play spectacularly, even when losing. She upset Coco Gauff in Toronto, even though she was feeling good when she lost in the semis against Pegula. But that is not week after week. The lefty is learning to be more proper, and in the event in Germany, she beat Paula Badosa, Emma Navarro and Donna Vekic to win it all. That was pretty darn good. The quick hitter also won another two tournaments, with different areas, so she must be intense and with some cool shots. It is hard to say when the young players can always be terrific, but Shnaider will try to serve harder and at the net, too. If she does, the top 5 will come very soon.
No. 12: Paula Badosa
The Spaniard had a fine year, going bottomless all over the place, running hard and knocking it back. Perhaps she is not a mammoth hitter, but she can put it away on the lines. She won Washington, and she reached the semis at Cincinnati. She did go into the quarters at the US Open, and later, the steady hitter went into the semis at Beijing. She has been for a decade, and her forehand has finally been stronger, but if she can mix it up more, then it is possible that she can finally go into the final at the Slams. Yet she will have to show it.
No. 11: Danielle Collins
We all thought that the American was going to retire, month after month, but then, during the fall, she decided to continue to play again. Her body was breaking down, yet suddenly, she felt good again. Now she is there, so hopefully, she will be healthy, a lot, as during the fall, she lost quickly. The huge hitter put together some terrific wins in the first four months, winning Miami and Charleston. She is very aggressive and tries to put it away in the corners. She has never won a Slam, but she did come somewhat close at the 2022 Australian Open. In 2025, she will have another chance to snare it, but to do it, she will have to be super fit or lose.