Caroline Wozniacki will defend her title at the WTA Finals in Singapore next week, but Naomi Osaka might be the player to watch.
In the absence of injured world No.1 Simona Halep, Wozniacki heads the list of eight finalists as she looks to bookend end a year that began with her first major title in Australia, by retaining the season-ending title.
Using Elo ratings, the Game Insight Group pinpointed St Petersburg as the high-point of the Dane’s year in terms of form, which has seen a marked upturn in recent weeks with her victory in Beijing.
Twitter: Get the latest updates from Game Insight Group
Finals debutantes Osaka and Kiki Bertens are the form players in 2018, while Elina Svitolina has slumped considerably since this time last year and only just made the final eight.
Elo ratings* are an alternative to more traditional rankings aimed at giving a greater insight into a player’s performance ability.
They factor in every professional match a player has played in their career, taking into account the level of the opponent, the difficulty of the match and whether it took place at tour level or at a Grand Slam.
Elo Ranking | Player | Elo Rating |
1 | Simona Halep* | 1963.9 |
2 | Caroline Wozniacki | 1963.0 |
3 | Karolina Pliskova | 1937.9 |
4 | Naomi Osaka | 1900.6 |
5 | Angelique Kerber | 1888.3 |
6 | Petra Kvitova | 1881.9 |
7 | Kiki Bertens | 1861.9 |
8 | Elina Svitolina | 1838.8 |
9 | Sloane Stephens | 1809.8 |
*Withdrawn from WTA Finals with injury
WTA Finalists Most Improved In 2018 |
|
Player | Elo improvement |
1. Naomi Osaka | +188.4 |
2. Kiki Bertens | +166.4 |
3. Angelique Kerber | +148.9 |
4. Petra Kvitova | +104.4 |
5. Sloane Stephens | +57.2 |
6. Karolina Pliskova | +12.7 |
7. Caroline Wozniacki | +0.9 |
8. Elina Svitolina | -171.8 |
WTA Finalists Peak ratings in 2018 |
||
Player | Peak rating | Tournament |
1. Caroline Wozniacki | 2107.8 | St Petersburg |
2. Elina Svitolina | 2075.2 | Australian Open |
3. Petra Kvitova | 2058.2 | Eastbourne |
4. Kiki Bertens | 2052.6 | US Open |
5. Karolina Pliskova | 2047.8 | Madrid |
6. Angelique Kerber | 2024.5 | Wimbledon |
7. Sloane Stephens | 1956.1 | US Open |
8. Naomi Osaka | 1909.6 | Beijing |
+ Simona Halep | 2151.3 | Cincinnati |