2. Jelena Ostapenko (Age: 18 years, Rank: 36)
Just days away from her 19th birthday, Jelena Ostapenko is the youngest player on this list. One of the best juniors of her days, she was crowned the Wimbledon girls’ champion in 2014. This year, she has been steadily rising up the ranks and burst into the spotlight in February with a run to the final of the Premier 5 WTA tournament in Doha.
The Latvian can blast through the ball with a lot of ferocity and her game is undoubtedly more apt for the faster surfaces. But she did make the pre-quarter-finals of Rome on clay.
Given the competitive spirit she has displayed the past few weeks, the 32nd seed can be one to watch out for if she can hold her nerves. And that would help her to a great extent in a possible third round showdown with the sixth seed Simona Halep.
