Women's tennis: 4 key takeaways from the 2018 WTA season

Newcomer of the Year - Aryna Sabalenka

Aryna Sabalenka at the 2018 WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai

Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka rose to prominence in 2017, leading her nation to the final of the Fed Cup. Her first WTA title at the Premier Level came at the 2018 Connecticut Open where she beat Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro in the final.

Her second title of 2018 came at the Premier 5 Level at the Wuhan Open, China. She took home a cool $471,700 for her exploits - the largest prize money of her career so far. She beat top-ranked players Carla Suarez Navarro, Elina Svitolina, Ashleigh Barty and Anett Kontaveit en-route to her victory.

Sabalenka has a very aggressive style of play, often accumulating a high number of winners and unforced errors. During the course of the year, she beat 5 top-10 players - Caroline Garcia, Karolina Pliskova, Caroline Wozniacki, Petra Kvitova and Elina Svitolina.

Sabalenka finished the year ranked a career-high World Number 11 and was named the WTA Newcomer of the Year. Much is expected of the 20-year-old in the 2019 season.