Starting on December 7—the 25th day left in 2010—TENNIS.com will countdown from the year-end No. 25 on both tours with "The Last Word," a look back at the year that was and a look ahead at the season to come. Here's who we've looked at so far.
Best of 2010
Kleybanova’s opponents took their lumps in Kuala Lumpur. After dropping just two sets on her way to the final, Kleybanova overwhelmed top seed Elena Dementieva 6-3, 6-2 to win her first WTA title. In her next tournament, Indian Wells, she reached the quarters before losing to eventual champion Jelena Jankovic.
Worst of 2010
She’s done most of her damage on hard courts, but Kleybanova had a dreadful summer in the U.S. She failed to advance past the second round in five of her six American hard-court tournaments, including the U.S. Open, where she went down meekly to Sara Errani in round two, 6-2, 6-3.
Year in Review
A consistent presence in the Top 50 for the past two-and-a-half years, Kleybanova didn’t crack the year-end Top 25 for the first time because of consistency. She won titles in Kuala Lumpur and Seoul, and reached the Bali “Tournament of Champions” final, but didn’t make the final four in any of the other 22 events she played. Maybe she should schedule more tournaments in Asia. Or maybe she should include more fitness training in her schedule. The Russian is a big girl, enabling her to hit some heavy shots. But her conditioning has probably held her back from some bigger things. The good news is she’s just 21 and has lots of time to strengthen her game and frame. If she puts it all together, Kleybanova could be the second coming of Nadia Petrova. If not, what you see is what you get.
See for Yourself
Kleybanova ran into Ana Ivanovic five times in 2010, with the Serb winning three of their matches. But Kleybanova prevailed over the 2008 French Open champion in their most important meeting, at Roland Garros:
The Last Word
Kleybanova finished 2008 ranked No. 33, 2009 at No. 29 and this season at No. 25. So she'll end 2011 at No. 21, right? Maybe. Now that she's proven she can win titles, look for Kleybanova to park closer to the Top 20 next season.
—Ed McGrogan