2018 WTA Preview: No. 7, Jelena Ostapenko

As a preview of 2018, Baseline is taking a look at all the Top 10 finishers from the ATP and WTA. **

See No. 8 here.

7

Jelena Ostapenko became a household name in 2017 thanks to her run to the Roland Garros title. The 20-year-old was unseeded and toppled the likes of Caroline Wozniacki and Simona Halep to win her first-ever WTA crown. Proving she's going to be no one-hit wonder, the Latvian enjoyed a run to the Wimbledon quarterfinals, before winning her second career title in Seoul.

Moment of the Year

Ostapenko's Parisian dream come true is her greatest moment of 2017, by a landslide. She grunted, screamed and slammed her way through a loaded field on one of the hardest terrains in sport.

Hot Shot of the Year

The early signs of what was coming for Ostapenko on clay this season started with her final showing in Charleston. Though she lost to Daria Kasatakina, Ostapenko showed her best stuff to get to the title match:

Outlook for 2018

The youngest face in the Top 10 will still be able to play with nothing to lose thanks to her youth. Keeping her mind and strokes on track throughout an entire tournament is her biggest challenge, and something that will come together more often with age. Look for her to add more titles to her collection, but another major may need a bit more time of settling down.