Three in line to be the next face of women's tennis

LONDON • Ashleigh Barty's sudden retirement has left a gaping hole in women's tennis, already preparing for life without Serena Williams, who at 40 is in the twilight of her career, and with four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka sliding to world No. 77 over mental health issues.

The Australian ascended to the top in 2019, a position she held for 114 consecutive weeks since then.

Only Steffi Graf and Williams (186 weeks), and Martina Navratilova (156) have enjoyed longer streaks as the top-ranked player in the women's game.

But there remains plenty of reasons for long-term optimism even as the WTA Tour loses its most dominant player. Here are three names jostling to become the next face of women's tennis:

The increasingly confident Pole leads the pack and will jump one spot to become the new No. 1 for the first time when the rankings are updated next week.

After winning the French Open in 2020, she has shown remarkable consistency, making the second week for a sixth consecutive Grand Slam during the Australian Open in January.

She posted her first top-10 year-end finish last year before making the last four at Melbourne Park, won Doha last month, then claimed the Indian Wells title last week. She is the first player since retired Dane Caroline Wozniacki in 2009 to win five or more titles before turning 21.

The powerful Belarusian has banked 10 WTA titles with her explosive all-court ability. Still only 23, she won two crowns last year and made the semi-finals at Wimbledon and the US Open to reach a career-high ranking of No. 2.

But she has since fallen three places to fifth, with Sabalenka readily admitting nerves can get the better of her. She self-destructed at two season-opening tournaments in Australia, reduced to tears as her serve deserted her.

Sabalenka's serving woes continued at the Australian Open and she has failed to make an impact at three tournaments since, so she will need to regroup.

The 19-year-old Briton stunned the tennis world as she won the US Open as a qualifier - the first to win a Grand Slam - last year without dropping a set.

But she has struggled to repeat those exploits. In seven tournaments since, her best run was into the quarter-finals of the Transylvania Open in October.

Raducanu though has time on her side and armed with new coach Torben Beltz, she said in Miami this week that the early exits had not dented her confidence and she planned to stay in the game into her 30s. Ranked 13th, she is on her first full season on the tour.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE