As the ATP's Next Gen Finals wrap up the season next month, showcasing the sport's brightest young talents, one glaring absence remains on the calendar: a Next Gen tournament for the women.
Despite a wealth of emerging female players on the WTA tour, there is no dedicated stage to celebrate the rising stars under 21. But what if there were? Who would make the cut for this hypothetical event in 2024, where potential future champions clash?
Coco Gauff:
It’s easy to forget that Coco Gauff, still only 20-years-old, would technically be eligible for this
competition. With a career that already includes a US Open title and seven additional WTA titles.
Gauff’s achievements surpass many players a decade her senior. However, as her current ranking of World No.3 means she would be a vital part of the WTA Finals, we can count her out for the Next Gen event.
Diana Shnaider:
Russia’s Diana Shnaider, currently ranked 12th, would likely claim the top seed, having had a breakout year winning four titles across Hong Kong, Bad Homburg, Budapest, and Hua Hin to elevate her ranking from No.97 at the beginning of the year.
Her season started with three losses in Australia – although a first-round loss at the Australian Open to Jasmine Paolini doesn’t look so bad now. Since then, she has notched multiple top-20 wins, including a notable victory over Gauff in Toronto.
Adding to her achievements, Shnaider took home a silver medal in doubles at the Paris Olympics partnering another potential Next Gen contender.
Mirra Andreeva:
That player, ranked just four spots behind Shnaider is compatriot Mirra Andreeva, who secured her first title this year in Lasi, climbing from No.58 to firmly establish herself in the top-20.
Andreeva’s season was set up at the Australian Open, where she reached the fourth-round, including a standout performance where she embarrassed world No.6 Ons Jabeur 6-0 6-2.
The 17-year-old also reached the quarter-finals in Madrid, before a stellar semi-final run at the French Open, overcoming Aryna Sabalenka along the way.
With years of eligibility left, Andreeva’s rapid rise hints that she’ll soon be eyeing the WTA Finals. But for now, she clearly earns a place in this field.
Linda Noskova:
Czech teenager Linda Noskova, ranked No.26, comes in as the third seed. After reaching the quarter-finals of the Australian Open and the semi-finals of Brisbane to kick-start the year, the majority of 2024 was nothing spectacular, with consistent second and third-round results.
That was, until the Monterrey 500 event, where Noskova notched up the first title of her career, not dropping a set during the week.
This season felt like a very solid consolidation from Noskova, who rose from No.40, and has
shown she well and truly belongs in the conversation for a Grand Slam seeding.
Ashlyn Krueger:
American Ashlyn Krueger, aged 20 and ranked No.65, had a steady season marked by incremental progress. Her third-round appearance at the US Open was a highlight, although she struggled to notch wins in the other majors, presenting big opportunities for improvement in 2025.
Krueger’s year included additional third-round runs in Toronto and Madrid, with notable wins over top-100 opponents including Ekaterina Alexandrova, Sofia Kenin, Leylah Fernandez, Donna Vekic, and Mirra Andreeva. She certainly deserves her position in this hypothetical Next Gen event.
Erika Andreeva:
Mirra’s older sister, Erika Andreeva, has also made her mark this season, entrenching herself within the top-100. Although she didn’t claim a title in 2024, Erika gained significant experience by competing in more high-tier events, steadily advancing through them.
Key moments included a quarter-final appearance at the Charleston 125 event, a successful qualification run at Wimbledon with a first-round win, and a quarter-final showing at the Monterrey 500, where she defeated Danielle Collins.
Arguably her most impressive result came at the Wuhan Masters, where she qualified and advanced to the third-round, overcoming her younger sister in a fascinating second-round clash. This late-season form could set the stage for a strong Australian summer, and a surge into the top-50.
Robin Montgomery:
American Robin Montgomery, currently just outside 100, comes in as the sixth seed in our hypothetical event, after roughly halving her ranking during the 2024 season.
Montgomery reached the quarter-finals of two WTA 125 events early in the season, before a breakthrough at the Madrid Open, where she reached the third-round by defeating two top-100 players, Elina Avanesyan and Katie Boulter, before pushing Aryna Sabalenka to three sets.
The grass season was big for Montgomery, reaching the last-eight of a 125 event in Italy, and the 250 event in s-Hertogenbosch. Qualifying for Wimbledon and advancing to the second-round was another important milestone in her development.
Maya Joint:
Australia have representation from Maya Joint, the highly talented 18-year-old, who is based in the USA.
A season that can only be described as stunning, Joint climbed from No.684 on the ranking table, all the way up to No.116, where she is still pushing hard for a direct entry to the 2025 Australian Open.
The signs were there early on when she made the quarter-finals of the Canberra 125 tournament, before falling at the final qualifying hurdle in Melbourne. Her opponent that day, Dayana Yastremska, went on to make the quarter-finals of the main draw.
Two ITF titles and a 125 final were the entrée to qualifying for the US Open, and winning her first-round clash against Laura Siegemund. With this momentum, Joint is well-positioned to break into the top-100, with a potentially high ceiling as she gains more experience.
Anca Todoni:
Rounding out the lineup is Romanian Anca Todoni, who ranks just a single place behind Joint.
The 20-year-old made significant strides in 2024, climbing over 100 spots in the rankings to join this elite group. She gained traction during the clay season, reaching the second round at a 250 event in Colombia and following up with a quarter-final at a W100, a semifinal at a W50, and, most notably, a WTA 125 title in Bari, Italy.
Todoni has proven her versatility, qualifying for Wimbledon and advancing to the second-round where she eventually went down to Coco Gauff. Recently, Todoni secured her second WTA 125 title in Bolivia, leaving her also within touching distance of direct entry for the Australian Open in 2025.
Alternate – Talia Gibson:
That rounds out our top-eight (or nine if we’re counting Gauff). But there always has to be an alternate, and Australia is once again represented, with Talia Gibson up to World No.126 in the rankings - a career-high, off the back of an amazing late-season Australian swing.
There has definitely been noise around the talent of Gibson for a few years, and to see her improve her ranking over 100 places this season provides Australia a much-needed boost on the women’s side.
Gibson recently won both the W75 events in her hometown of Perth, then went three titles in a row winning the W35 in Cairns, and reaching the semis of the W75 events in Playford, and Sydney.
But it’s not just on home soil Gibson has picked up results. She made the final of a W75 in Slovenia, and a W50 in Portugal.
If she can use the end-of-season success as a springboard into January, she will be knocking on the door of the top-100.
The women’s game has never been short of promising young talent, so creating a space for these teenage prodigies to shine at season's end, seems like a natural evolution.
Perhaps, if the WTA and ATP merge in the near future, might we see a combined male and female Next Gen Finals tournament? That is a tantalising prospect for the future of tennis.
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