2024 has provided us with some incredible new female tennis stars who have broken through to the upper echelons of the sport.
Zheng Qinwen defied all odds to claim the 2024 Paris Olympics Gold medal. In doing so she became the first Asian tennis player to win singles Olympic gold. Can her victory usher in a new era of breakthrough stars in women’s tennis?
China’s Zheng Qinwen’s gold medal carried not only merit but grit and determination throughout her entire Olympic campaign. In the gold medal match, she beat Donna Vekic
with a commanding 6-2, 6-3 victory.
In her semi-final victory, she upset the heavy favorite and world number one Iga Swiatek 6-2, 7-5 after losing the last six of their match-ups. Her quarter-final was also a three-set thriller 7-6(4), 6-4, 7-6(6) against Angelique Kerber. While Zheng was the underdog, she produced terrific results all year leading up to the Olympics.
At just 21 years of age, she reached her first major final at this year’s Australian Open falling to Aryna Sabalenka. This propelled her to a career-high number seven ranking. Her booming serve and forehand are ferocious weapons that are hard to tame when working. Zheng certainly has the potential to give women’s tennis a new young role model that dominates consistently.
Another exciting new face that has been consistent all year is the fiery Italian Jasmine Paolini. Her 2024 results have propelled her to a career-high ranking of number 5 after reaching the finals of both the French Open and Wimbledon back to back. Not only is she a masterful singles player, she also excels on the doubles court with long-time doubles partner Sara Errani.
The Italian duo just won the Olympic doubles gold medal following a successful year playing together. At twenty-eight years old Paolini has taken time to reach this level of success on court. But her combination of aggression and tactical changes of pace alongside a comprehensive net game shows a new side to women’s tennis. She presents not only a refreshing dynamic to the women’s game but her bubbly personality and smile have given tennis fans a different kind of star.
Breakthrough star Donna Vekic is the current world number 21 and the 2024 Olympic singles silver medalist. Vekic had contemplated quitting tennis following knee surgery two years ago. After battling various obstacles she has rekindled the flame of her winning ways and produced incredible results this year. She achieved her first semi-final appearance at Wimbledon falling to Paolini in three tough sets.
Not to mention her amazing Olympic run, where she battled illness and misfortunes en route to a silver medal. Like Paolini, she is twenty-eight years old but is producing some of the best tennis of her career. Her aggressive yet tactical game shows off her passion during play which can lead to even bigger results for the Croat.
The potential for new and exciting faces and Grand Slam champions in women’s tennis is growing by the minute as the 2024 gears towards a close. No matter the background, age, or game style women’s tennis is consistently producing new stars of the game. Will another breakthrough star shine at the upcoming 2024 US Open? Time will tell, but it definitely is an exciting time for women’s tennis.
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