2024 WTA Tour Awards – ft Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Zheng Qinwen
The dust is settling on the 2024 WTA Tour season, which certainly delivered its fair share of thrills, spills, and high-quality action.
With the WTA Finals having brought tour action to a close, we have had a look back over the past 11 months to hand out our awards for the 2024 season.
Best Player: Aryna Sabalenka
With two Grand Slam titles and the year-end world No 1 ranking to her name, Sabalenka just edges out Iga Swiatek to be our 2024 WTA player of the year.
Sabalenka successfully defended her Australian Open title and also won her maiden US Open, alongside WTA 1000 victories in Cincinnati and Wuhan.
Four titles represent her best haul in an individual season, while she amassed a joint-tour best of 18 wins at Slams despite missing Wimbledon.
Sabalenka was already a great player heading into 2024, but this year she sealed her place as a modern great.
Best Match: Iga Swiatek def Aryna Sabalenka, Madrid Open
Sabalenka may have edged out Swiatek for our best player award, but it was the Pole who squeezed over the line when the pair met in our best match of 2024.
The pair contested a great Madrid final in 2023 and expectations were high for their championship match in 2024, with Sabalenka looking to defend her title and Swiatek looking for her maiden crown.
In a final even better than the one they produced 12 months previously, Swiatek saved three match points to triumph in the Spanish capital – sealing an extraordinary 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(7) victory.
Best Moment: Danielle Collins, Miami Open
Collins will not retire as initially planned following the end of 2024, but that does not mean her remarkable Miami Open run is any less special.
Competing at her home event, the US star – outside of the top 50 – stunned the tennis world by capturing the title, dropping just one set on her way to the final, where she beat Elena Rybakina.
Collins then followed her Miami win up with a title in Charleston the following week, completing a remarkable spring run.
Most Improved: Jasmine Paolini
Starting 2024 as the world No 30, few would have expected Paolini to have too much of an impact across the coming season.
However, the Italian finishes 2024 as the world No 4, reaching the Roland Garros and Wimbledon finals, winning a WTA 1000 title in Dubai, and matching Sabalenka with 18 Grand Slam match wins.
Coupled with Olympic doubles gold, no one improved as drastically or unexpectedly as the 28-year-old over the past 11 months.
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The 11 women with most WTA titles in 2024: Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka top two
Breakout Star: Zheng Qinwen
Also a potential contender in our most improved category, Qinwen is ultimately our breakout star after an extraordinary season for the 22-year-old.
Not only did the Chinese star reach her first Grand Slam final at the Australian Open, she also made history with a surprise triumph at Paris 2024 – a win that made headlines all across the globe.
With further titles in Palermo and Tokyo to her name, and runner-up finishes in Wuhan and the WTA Finals, the new world No 5 is now one of the biggest names in the sport.
Coach of the Year: Renzo Furlan
Anton Dubrov (Sabalenka) and Pere Riba (Qinwen) could easily be named coach of the year, but Furlan deserves to be recognised for his impressive work with Paolini.
Former ATP star Furlan has worked with Paolini since 2020 and has slowly guided his charge up the rankings, and deserves significant recognition for guiding her 2024 rise.
Having previously helped Francesca Schiavone to her 2010 French Open win, Furlan’s credentials only rose further this season.
Biggest Upset: Anna Blinkova def Elena Rybakina, Australian Open
Rybakina came into the Australian Open this year fresh off a win at the Brisbane International, and many people thought the 2023 runner-up would go one better and lift the title.
However, Anna Blinkova had other ideas in an extraordinary upset inside the Rod Laver Arena.
The Russian saved five match points in a remarkable final set tiebreak to defeat the Kazakh 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(20), sending the third seed home as early as the second round.
One to Watch: Diana Shnaider
Shnaider did not make too much impact at the majors in 2024, reaching the second week of a Slam for the first time at the US Open before a loss to Jessica Pegula.
However, the Russian finishes the year at 13th in the rankings, having started the year as the world No 60, and won four WTA titles – matching Sabalenka, and only bettered by Swiatek.
With a strong ranking and a hugely impressive game, she could make a huge breakthrough within the next 12 months.
