via Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, February 14, 2021 Serena Williams of the U.S. celebrates winning her fourth round match against Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka REUTERS/Loren Elliott
via Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, February 14, 2021 Serena Williams of the U.S. celebrates winning her fourth round match against Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka REUTERS/Loren Elliott
America has produced brilliant tennis players in the past 50 years. The ATP scene might not be brimming with Grand Slam champions, but the WTA has a lot of top American players. The new crop of players like Coco Gauff and Sofia Kenin, accompanied by Serena Williams, has already made huge jumps in the WTA rankings. And now, there are a record 11 American players in the top 50 rankings.
At the start of last week, there were nine Americans in the top 50, and today, Shelby Rogers and Coco Gauff re-enter the top 50, thus making it 11 Americans. This has happened for the first time in 18 years.
via Reuters
Cori Gauff of the U.S. in action during her match against Switzerland’s Jil Teichmann. REUTERS/Loren Elliott
Gauff had a brilliant semifinal run at Adelaide Internationals. Belinda Bencic beat her, but she looked really good throughout the tournament. This pushed her to a career-high 38th, making her the youngest in the top 50.
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The other mover into the top 50 rankings was Shelby Rogers. After a decent run at the Australian Open and Adelaide International, Shelby moved back into the top 50 of the WTA ranking.
Back in 2003, when there 11 Americans in the WTA rankings, Serena Williams was the leader
The American list is headed by Sofia Kenin, who is World No.4. Her other top 10 American companion is Serena Williams who sits on the 7th spot. The last time 11 Americans featured in the top 50 rankings, Serena was heading the list, and she continues to among the top names to this day.
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Other notable Americans include Aussie Open finalist, Jennifer Brady, Madison Keys, Sloane Stephens.
via Reuters
Serena Williams of the U.S. celebrates winning her fourth round match against Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka. REUTERS/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake
The latest American star to make heads turn is Jennifer Brady. Her performance at the 2020 US Open set the stage for her 2021 Australian Open run to the final. She had reached the semifinals in New York and then just a few months after that, she reached her first Grand Slam final in Melbourne.
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All this shows the American hopes could soon be lifted off Serena’s shoulders. She has been the stalwart who’s taken the American tennis charge forward, and with age, her influence has been diminishing. That is why there are more American Grand slam hopefuls. Last year we found Sofia Kenin, who could be the next new American Grand Slam champion?
Read More: Serena Williams’ Husband Reveals His Favorite Grail From Her Trophy Room
