Today, we take a look back at the past year for the players ranked between 46th and 50th.
WTA 2016 Year In Review: Rank 46-50
Eugenie Bouchard
It was a trying season for the former Wimbledon finalist, but she appears to be headed in the right direction.
High point of the year: Bouchard’s second round 6-3, 1-6, 6-1 win at Wimbledon over Johanna Konta on Center Court was particularly impressive considering how well the Brit was and continued to play in 2016.
Low point of the year: At the Ricoh Open on grass in the Netherlands, the Canadian won just two games against Belgian qualifier Elise Mertens. Of all the losses Bouchard has endured since her comeback, this was by far the worst.
Other highlights: Bouchard reached the finals of Hobart and Kuala Lumpur, but fell short of the title on both occasions, losing to Alize Cornet and Elina Svitolina respectively. The loss to Svitolina was particularly painful as the 2014 Wimbledon finalist was up a set.
Outlook for 2017: Back with another former coach of hers, Thomas Hogstedt, Bouchard made progress in 2016 and if she can continue to stay injury-free and the partnership with Hogstedt works out, there’s no reason the Canadian can’t reach the Top 20 by season’s end.
Ana Konjuh
The Croatian had done very little of note until the final major of the year when she showed why people touted her as a future star.
High point of the year: Konjuh advanced to the U.S. Open quarterfinals with wins over Kiki Bertens, Kurumi Nara, Varvara Lepchenko and Agnieszka Radwanska. The win over Radwanska, which made the now 19-year-old the first Croatian woman to reach the Open quarterfinals, was particularly impressive as she blasted 38 winners as compared to just 9 for Radwanska.
Low point of the year: It could be argued Konjuh would’ve upset Radwanska one major earlier, but while trying to retrieve a drop shot from the Pole, the Croatian stepped on the ball, twisting her ankle and not winning another point after. She lost the third set 9-7 after having numerous match points.
Other highlights: Konjuh reached the semifinals in Bol. Outside of that, her run to the final eight in New York was her farthest progression at any tournament in 2016.
Outlook for 2017: Provided she can stay injury-free, the Croat, who has a new coach in the form of Goran Prpic, should continue to rise in the rankings. Her showing at the U.S. Open was no fluke and she’ll prove that in 2017.
Naomi Osaka
The Japanese teenager made a splash late in 2016 to rise into the Top 50 in the world.
High point of the year: Osaka reached the finals of the Toray Pan Pacific Open where she beat, among others, Dominika Cibulkova and Elina Svitolina before losing to Caroline Wozniacki.
Low point of the year: The Japanese led her third round match at the U.S. Open 5-1 against Madison Keys before losing in a final set tiebreak. Osaka served for the match twice before Keys prevailed 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3).
Other highlights: There were no other notable results for Osaka either good or bad.
Outlook for 2017: Osaka is a tall player with a tremendous amount of power and with another year of experience on tour, she has no place to go but up.
Sara Errani
The Italian suffered a substantial decline in 2016, but she managed to stay in the Top 50 thanks to one result.
High point of the year: Errani, never known for her hard-court prowess, was the surprise winner in Dubai, blowing out Barbora Strycova 6-0, 6-2 in the final to cap by far her best week of 2016.
Low point of the year: Errani’s favorite and best surface is clay, so her 6-3, 6-2 loss to Tsvetana Pironkova in the first round of the French Open perhaps should have been a warning sign of what was to come.
Other highlights: Nothing.
Outlook for 2017: At almost 30 years old and with her grinding style of play based on consistency and movement, it’s hard to see how the Italian stays anywhere close to the Top 50. Her win in Dubai only postponed the inevitable and while she’s a credit to the game for her work ethic and tenacity, it’s going to be an even worse 2017 than 2016 for Errani.
Johanna Larsson
High point of the year: Larsson went a career best 34-27 at all levels of play in 2016. The Swede was good across surfaces and her best result of the season was a run to the semifinals in New Haven as a lucky loser. Larsson defeated Timea Bacsinszky, Shelby Rogers, and Roberta Vinci in straight sets before falling in the semifinals.
Low point of the year: Larsson failed to register a win on grass in 2016 and had five other first round exits in her season.
Other highlights: Larsson reached WTA semifinals in Hobart and on home soil in Bastad in 2016.
Outlook for 2017: With steady improvement across clay and hard courts in 2016, Larsson should remain a WTA caliber player if she can string together consistent wins and play at her highest level.
Other WTA Year in Review Articles
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