AFTER naming five ATP Tour players to watch yesterday, we have thrown up five names – all teenagers – who are currently on the WTA Tour and making waves. Whilst one of these players is universally recognised, the others deserve the same plaudits with these guns to no doubt become household names in the coming years.

Iga Swiatek (Poland)

Barring a disappointing Round of 32 loss to Svetlana Kuznetsova, the teenage Pole has been in good form this year – just ask Donna Vekic. Swiatek has bundled the Croatian out twice already this year in major events at the Australian Open and Doha, both in straight sets. Unlike some of the others on this list, Swiatek has not played a heap of tennis this year, but sits at a 5-2 record in 2020, with her other loss coming at the hands of an in-form Anett Kontaveit at Melbourne Park – who Swiatek took a set off and pushed all the way in a 6-7 7-5 7-5 loss. Now sitting inside the top 50 for the first time, the next step will be to make the Round of 16 finish at Melbourne Park a norm for all Grand Slams, having already done so last year on debut at Roland Garros. Still learning the ropes, Swiatek is remarkably strong on return, winning 35.4 per cent of her return games, and more than 50 per cent of her opponents’ second serve points. She converts 70.6 per cent of her service games and is a bright young talent even if she does not come with the plaudits of Coco Gauff.

Coco Gauff (United States)

How could the young star who celebrates her 16th birthday tomorrow not be on the list? Her Australian Open run which included knocking off reigning champion Naomi Osaka was memorable, but she is still a raw talent who can float in and out of matches. When she is on, she can match it with the best in the world, but she can also overcook shots and opponents are testing out her back with piercing, deep slice that has troubled her at times. By turning 16, Gauff no longer has the same restrictions on her to play senior events, and if the Australian Open is anything to go by, then the fans want to see her more and more. She was blown away in the final set against eventual Australian Open winner, Sofia Kenin in the Round of 16 at Melbourne Park, but showed she could match it with her and looks a natural on hard court. The fact that in the three main draw Grand Slams she has played, she has already made two Round of 16s and a Round of 32 is credit to her level-headedness and ability to work under pressure. Having remarkably won a title at Linz after being a lucky loser and somehow fighting back to take it out, showed how she is able to shake off poor stints of form and find her best again.

Anastasia Potapova (Russia)

About to turn 19 at the end of the month, Potapova has been steadily improving and whilst she has slipped from her career high ranking of 64th last July to 84th as it currently stands, a breakout year is beckoning. Aside from a disappointing loss to Arina Rodionova at Adelaide in qualifying, Potapova has had tough draws and only lost the games you would expect her to lose. She copped Serena Williams in the first round at Melbourne Park, made it to a quarterfinal against reigning champion, Kiki Bertens at St Petersburg, lost out to in-form Leylah Fernandez in Acapulco who reached the final, then suffered defeat in Monterrey 9-7 in the third set tiebreaker against world number 16, Johanna Konta. Whilst she has not had a win against a top 50 player this year – her best was a straight sets triumph over the difficult Alja Tomljanovic, Potapova is getting closer to some of those top players to suggest she is on the verge of tipping the scales in her favour. She is yet to make it past a second round at a Grand Slam, but has won 39 per cent of her return games showing she is good around the court. Potapova could be more potent on serve though, winning just 62.6 per cent of her service games which leaves her open to being broken. Her first serve percentage of 52.6 is also quite poor, though that will come with experience. It is harder to develop the return aspect of the game and she has that, so building serving consistency will come with practice and time.

Wang Xiyu (CHN)

No doubt mainstream media might not have caught onto this teenage prodigy yet, but the 18-year-old who turns 19 just a few days before Potapova, has plenty of punch and has been cruising through the lower tournaments well. Currently ranked 107th in the world, expect her to crack into the top 100 with a good year. She already has wins over compatriots Wang Yafan and Zhu Lin (both seeded at Acapulco) as well as former top five player, Sara Errani in the same tournament as she reached the semi-final before going down to eventual winner Heather Watson. Her best win came in Thailand where she stunned second favourite, Petra Martic 6-3 6-4, and reached a quarter final before losing to fifth seed, Magda Linette in three sets from a set up. With losses to players outside the top 300 also either side of these tournaments her inconsistency is a bit of a concern, but that will come with experience. The noticeable different between Xiyu and a lot of other teenagers is her dominance on serve, where despite only having a 61.7 per cent serving efficiency, she winnings 74.7 per cent of her service games. She also wins a healthy 37.8 per cent of her return games, so has a really solid all-round performance. With almost five aces per game on average, Xiyu can pull out bigger serves if needed and is that tricky left-hander that many opponents struggle against. Effectively sitting at a career-high ranking currently, the goal would be for Xiyu to gain automatic entry into the Grand Slams from this point on.

Leylah Fernandez (CAN)

All the talk from North America is about Gauff, and while the recognition is deserved, Fernandez could well start earning plaudits of the same nature soon. Having turned 17 later in the year, Fernandez is small (163cm) but packs a real punch and is one of the most in-form players this season. Like any player on the WTA Tour, Fernandez would have been disappointed with the cancellation of Indian Wells, where she could have continued her form and potentially earned a wildcard entry and bolstered herself up to beyond her career-high current ranking of 118th. Keeping in mind at year’s end last year she was ranked 209th, and floating in the 300s and 400s over the past couple of seasons, she has well and truly broken onto the scene now. Fernandez might have lost to an in-form Lauren Davis at the Australian Open, but the tennis world would have taken note of her straight sets victory over Belinda Bencic in the Fed Cup, and then moving up 64 places in the world with a run from qualifying to the Mexico Open final in Acapulco. Aside from an admirable three-set loss to Watson in the final, she plowed through three top 100 players in straight sets. In case anyone thought that was a fluke, Fernandez backed up with a terrific win over Sloane Stephens at Monterrey the next week, before losing in a tight two-set loss to number one seed and eventual winner, Elina Svitolina in the quarter finals. If Fernandez can continue her form once the coronavirus tournament ban is lifted, then watch out because she could be the next big thing and a key part of the North American resurgence.