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Russia-born Rybakina lifted two WTA 1000 titles
at Indian Wells and Rome but the 24-year-old struggled to stay
fit, retiring in Dubai, Roland Garros and Cincinnati before
withdrawing from the Tokyo Open due to health reasons.
The big-serving Kazakh seems back on track, however, opening her
2024 season at the Brisbane International where she beat
Sabalenka to lift her first trophy of the season.
JESSICA PEGULA (UNITED STATES)
World ranking: 5
Pegula closed her 2023 season as runner-up at the WTA Finals,
losing only to world number one Iga Swiatek after a perfect
group stage and a straight sets semi-final win over U.S. Open
champion Coco Gauff.
The 29-year-old American has yet to make much of an impression
at the Grand Slams, however, falling at the quarter-final stage
six times since 2021 -- including the last three Melbourne Park
majors.
That has not stopped her believing success will come.
"It's better to at least keep reaching quarter-finals than not
putting myself in those positions," she had said after her last
Grand Slam quarter-final exit at Wimbledon.
"I just have to keep telling myself to put myself in good
positions, keep getting better and working on things."
MARKETA VONDROUSOVA (CZECH REPUBLIC)
World ranking: 7
Vondrousova clinched her maiden Grand Slam at Wimbledon to
become the first unseeded player to win the women's title and
the first Czech woman since Petra Kvitova in 2014.
Vondrousova, the 2020 Olympic silver medallist, also made it to
the Roland Garros final as an unseeded player in 2019, where she
lost to Ash Barty.
After recording her best performance at the U.S. Open, where she
reached the quarter-finals, the 24-year-old lefthander will now
look to improve her record at Melbourne Park, where she has
never progressed past the fourth round.
(Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios in Mexico City; Editing by Peter
Rutherford)
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