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Petra Kvitova, Coco Gauff, and Ons Jabeur all came through some big wins on the Tour in 2022. Be it Kvitova rediscovering her love for grass courts in Eastbourne, Jabeur going on a spree in Madrid, or Gauff putting together a run to her maiden Grand Slam final in Paris, their performances thrilled tennis fans year-round.
And there were a few titanic tussles — involving the trio and others — that failed to capture the same amount of attention.
Reflecting back on 2022 as we head into the new season, here are five fiercely competitive women's tennis matches (in no particular order) that went unnoticed this year:
#5 Coco Gauff vs Elena-Gabriela Ruse (Wimbledon)
While Coco Guaff's run at Roland Garros — where she upstaged the likes of Sloane Stephens and Elise Mertens en route to the final — hogged all the limelight, the youngster also had a few other memorable battles on the Grand Slam stage.
Pitted against the tenacious Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the opening round of the Wimbledon Championships, Gauff was pushed to the brink. Ruse blew the youngster off the court in a 6-2 opening set only for her opponent to level things at one set all. The decider saw Ruse take her chances, while Gauff continued to blow hers — the American wasted 21 of her 25 break-point opportunities in the match.
Unrelenting defense, sheer grit, and a dependable first serve are what helped Gauff fend off a spirited opponent who arguably played a better match. She won 2-6, 6-3, 7-5.
#4 Petra Kvitova vs Paula Badosa (Ostrava)
One of the best hardcourt matches of the year saw Petra Kvitova and Paula Badosa go toe-to-toe in one insane baseline rally after the other, much to the delight of a packed Ostrava crowd. Playing Badosa for the second time, Kvitova looked set to exact revenge for her Wimbledon loss as she led by a set and break after over an hour of ruthless hitting from both ends.
Badosa, however, had other plans. The Spaniard lifted her level to mount pressure on Kvitova — who lost her serve midway through the second to go back level. It was, however, Kvitova's turn to once again put the pedal to the metal and surge ahead. Badosa saved multiple match points in her next service game and forced Kvitova to serve out the match.
An outlandish baseline rally at 15-15 that ended with the contest's most unlikely winner off Kvitova's forehand summed up the match, leaving both opponents with their hands on their knees and gasping for breath. Kvitova eventually served out the match 7-6(4), 6-4 on her eighth match point, but the scoreline did not do justice to the sheer quality of ball-striking witnessed in the contest.
#3 Ons Jabeur vs Magda Linette (Roland Garros)
Ons Jabeur made two Grand Slam finals in 2022, but also posted a first-round exit at one — Roland Garros, losing out to a spirited Magda Linette.
Linette started the match as a heavy underdog playing against a player who had just lifted the biggest title of her career in Madrid. Jabeur managed to assert her dominance in the opener, but her opponent was already showing plenty of fight even when coming up second-best in the rallies.
Linette turned things around in the second set, taking a more proactive approach and winning it in a tie-breaker. She continued to surprise Jabeur with deeper and heavier groundstrokes to surge ahead in the decider, only for the Tunisian to show her champion mentality and level things up. Linette made a final push at the backend of the set, throwing herself at a few stretch volleys before getting over the line off a netted backhand.
#2 Victoria Azarenka vs Ana Bogdan (Roland Garros)
Victoria Azarenka has turned in quite a few battling performances on the tennis court over the course of her career. Playing against Ana Bogdan at Roland Garros, she was pushed to the limits.
The Romanian — who played a similarly stellar contest under the floodlights against Paula Badosa in Paris last year — came agonizingly close to a big win on yet another occasion, having pushed Azarenka onto the backfoot for a good set and a half. Her underrated backhand was particularly punishing in the opening set tie-breaker, where she saved a few set points before edging Azarenka out.
Following an extended rain delay, however, Azarenka looked the more composed of the two. Her characteristic consistency from the back of the court, mixed with the right amount of electric hitting, eventually wore Bogdan down.
#1 Simona Waltert vs Danielle Collins (Lausanne)
Simona Waltert entered the Ladies Open Lausanne as a wildcard. A gap of over 200 spots in the world rankings and little to no Tour experience would have weighed heavily on the shoulders of the young player. But that didn't stop her from pulling off one of the biggest upsets — ranking-wise anyway — against Danielle Collins.
Collins showed flashes of her best tennis, hitting winners left, right, and center. Waltert, for her part, was determined to outshow her opponent — already one of the biggest ball strikers on Tour. The back-and-forth went on for two sets before both players began to mix in slices and net approaches to add another layer to the contest.
Heading into the climax, both Collins and Waltert went back to swinging progressively harder at each ball. The Swiss youngster saved a couple of match points in the tie-breaker before hitting one final forehand crosscourt that flew past Collins' reach.
