By Tony Fairbairn
- Britwatch assesses the 2024 season of the top ten Brits with Katie Boulter and Emma Raducanu continuing to their revival up the rankings while Sonay Kartal made her top 100 debut.
LONDON, ENGLAND – The 2024 season has ended and now it’s time to see which WTA Brits got top marks and which Brits will need to do more studying next year.
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It was another incredible year for the WTA Brits with plenty of positives with Emma Raducanu reviving her form over the grass court season by reaching the second week at Wimbledon. There was also another fantastic season for Katie Boulter who won a WTA 500 event in San Diego and was seeded for Grand Slam events while Sonay Kartal made her top 100 debut by winning her maiden WTA title in Monastir. Now it’s time to recap the other highlights from 2024 and see who needs to work harder in 2025.
1) Katie Boulter
Start of season ranking: 56
End of season ranking: 24
Another great season for Boulter who started the season outside the world’s top 50 but will end the year inside the world’s top 25. A phenomenal start was produced after scoring her first top five win against Jessica Pegula and Boulter then went from strength to strength by winning her first WTA 500 title at San Diego before defending her Nottingham title. The British number one will hope to improve her Grand Slam results in 2025 as she aims for more success and will look to continue her rise up the rankings.
Season highlights:
San Diego: Champion
Miami: Third Round
Paris 125: Quarter-Final
Nottingham: Champion
Eastbourne: Quarter-Final
Toronto: Third Round
Tokyo: Semi-Final
Hong Kong: Final
2) Emma Raducanu
Start of season ranking: 301
End of season ranking: 57
It was a year of revival for Raducanu as she made her return to the world’s top 100 after a successful grass court season. The Brit took a risk by missing the clay court season and it paid off with successful results as she reached the semi-final in Nottingham and quarter-final in Eastbourne. That preparation led to a second week performance at Wimbledon although a disappointing loss to Lulu Sun left a bitter taste in her mouth. A decent showing in Washington will give her some momentum as she will hope for better off-court decision making in order to be a constant threat in 2025.
Season highlights:
Indian Wells: Third Round
Stuttgart: Quarter-Final
Nottingham: Semi-Final
Eastbourne: Quarter-Final
Wimbledon: Fourth Round
Washington: Quarter-Final
Seoul: Quarter-Final
3) Sonay Kartal
Start of season ranking: 250
End of season ranking: 85
An incredible year for Kartal who is now a top 100 player for the first time in her career. The 23 year-old qualified for Wimbledon and went all the way to the third round before producing a valiant effort against Coco Gauff. The Brit went from strength to strength as she won her maiden WTA title in Monastir and will now enter the Australian Open directly. The world number 85 will aim to continue her aggressive and proactive tennis in order to progress further in 2025.
Season highlights:
ITF Loughborough: Champion
ITF Nottingham 2: Champion
ITF Monzon: Champion
ITF Ilkley: Quarter-Final
Wimbledon: Third Round
ITF Roehampton 2: Champion
ITF Roehampton 3: Champion
Monastir: Champion
ITF Shrewsbury: Champion
ITF Hamburg: Final
4) Harriet Dart
Start of season ranking: 120
End of season ranking: 103
It’s been another rollercoaster season for Harriet Dart which started in great fashion by reaching a final in Canberra. Another successful grass court season saw Dart reach the third round of Wimbledon for the second time after defeating Boulter in a thrilling match. However there is a feeling that Dart has more to achieve as she will hope to return to the world’s top 100 in 2025.
Season highlights:
Canberra 125: Final
Transylvania: Semi-Final
Eastbourne: Quarter-Final
Wimbledon: Third Round
5) Francesca Jones
Start of season ranking: 292
End of season ranking: 152
There was another consistent season for Francesca Jones on the ITF tour as she reached regular semi-finals and finals. The biggest highlight for Jones was reaching the final at the WTA 125 in San Luis Potosi but once again injuries denied the Brit of a successful grass court season. The British number five will hope for an injury-free 2025 as she is on the brink of the world’s top 150.
Season highlights:
ITF Hammamet: Semi-Final
ITF Hammamet: Final
San Luis Potosi 125: Final
ITF Grado: Champion
Nottingham: Quarter-Final
ITF Saint Palais Sur Mer: Semi-Final
ITF Ljubljana: Semi-Final
ITF Lisbon: Quarter-Final
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6) Heather Watson
Start of season ranking: 139
End of season ranking: 163
It’s been another poor season for Heather Watson despite an encouraging start to the season after a string of good ITF results. These days Watson is prioritising doubles progress over singles but will still be hoping for some more singles glory as she will hope to improve on her first round exit at Wimbledon next year.
Season highlights:
Abu Dhabi: Second Round
ITF Roehampton: Final
Nottingham: Second Round
ITF Nottingham 3: Champion
Seoul: Second Round
ITF Shrewsbury: Final
7) Jodie Burrage
Start of season ranking: 99
End of season ranking: 179
After a promising start to the season in Linz where she reached the quarter-finals, Jodie Burrage’s season was effected as she missed seven months of the season due to wrist surgery. The Brit missed Wimbledon and was forced to grind out on the ITF circuit to end the year. However a title to finish the year could give her momentum as she looks to build on her form by using her protected ranking to enter big events.
Season highlights:
Linz: Quarter-Final
ITF Glasgow: Semi-Final
ITF Villeneuve D’Ascq: Semi-Final
ITF Funchal: Semi-Final
ITF Trnava 7: Final
ITF Dubai: Champion
8) Yuriko Lily Miyazaki
Start of season ranking: 189
End of season ranking: 185
It’s been a decent season for Yuriko Lily Miyazaki who achieved some good results on the ITF circuit as well as winning her first ever Wimbledon match. The Brit will aim for a breakthrough in the world’s top 150 next year as she has the potential to achieve some big things next year.
Season highlights:
ITF Andrezieux-Boutheon: Champion
ITF Trnava 2: Quarter-Final
ITF Maribor: Quarter-Final
ITF Croissy-Beaubourg: Champion
Wimbledon: Second Round
9) Amarni Banks
Start of season ranking: 306
End of season ranking: 258
There was some solid progress from Amarni Banks as the Brit produced some stellar performances on the ITF circuit. Banks also nearly qualified for Wimbledon, beating some experienced competition on the way. Now she will look to continue to rack up match practice as the future looks bright for the 22 year-old.
Season highlights:
ITF Traralgon: Champion
ITF Traralgon 2: Quarter-Final
ITF Croissy-Beaubourg: Semi-Final
Wimbledon: Third Qualifying Round
ITF Le Neubourg: Semi-Final
ITF Reims: Quarter-Final
ITF Glasgow: Semi-Final
ITF Trnava 6: Semi-Final
10) Ella McDonald
Start of season ranking: 1214
End of season ranking: 397
A big season for Ella McDonald as the youngster won a couple of ITF tennis and played tennis well beyond her years. The Brit also reached the Ilkley quarter-finals and will be hoping that can give her some confidence as she targets a Wimbledon wildcard in 2025.
Season highlights:
ITF Monastir 20: Quarter-Final
ITF Monastir 21: Champion
ITF Monastir 22: Quarter-Final
ITF Madrid 2: Quarter-Final
ITF Ilkley: Quarter-Final
ITF Bissy-Chambery: Champion
ITF Roehampton 2: Quarter-Final
ITF Roehampton 3: Quarter-Final
ITF Lleiria: Semi-Final
ITF Santarem: Quarter-Final
ITF Loughborough: Semi-Final
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