CHERYL SHRUM LOOKS AT THE WTA (WOMEN’S TENNIS ASSOCIATION) TOP 10 AS 2016 STARTS THE STARS ARE:

Written by: Staff on 5th January 2016

French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros

CHERYL SHRUM LOOKS AT THE WTA (WOMEN'S TENNIS ASSOCIATION) TOP 10 AS 2016 STARTS THE STARS ARE:

epa04774416 Maria Sharapova of Russia in action against Kaia Kanepi of Estonia during their first round match for the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 29 May 2015. EPA/YOAN VALAT |

It’s official — 2016 is here but as the New Year gets under way Down Under, the names and faces on the WTA top 10 rankings remain the same.

Sitting at No. 1, where she has remained for the past 150 straight weeks is Serena Williams. By all accounts, 2015 was an absolute stellar year for Serena. Is it possible that 2016 can be even better? If Serena reaches her goals, the answer will be yes.

As the world knows, Serena was two-matches short of a Grand Slam in 2015 and the quest will be the same in 2016. Yes, she will be shooting for a Grand Slam again and if she gets it, she’ll have won 25 majors, a Grand Slam record which will put her ahead of Steffi Graf (22) and Margaret Court (24) to set a new all-time record, male or female.

And if that weren’t enough, it’s also an Olympic Year. That means, if Serena, were to win Olympic Gold in Rio, she would match Graf’s Golden Grand Slam from 1988.

But, standing in her way at No. 2 and No. 3 are the two youngest players in the top 10, Simona Halep and Garbine Muguruza. Both have had wins over Serena and both have reached Grand Slam finals. They’re eager and they’re ready to stop the Serena record-making machine.

Sitting at No. 4 is a healthy Maria Sharapova. Despite several injury setbacks, Maria had a solid performance in 2015. Since 2012, she has reached the Australian Open twice and the semifinals once. Can she stay healthy and stop Serena’s momentum Down Under?

Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland returns to Sara Errani of Italy during the final match of the World Tennis Thailand Championship 2016 exhibition tournament at Hua Hin resort city, Thailand, 01 January 2016. EPA/PONGMANAT TASIRI

No. 5 Agnieszka Radwanska finished 2015 in style in Singapore winning the WTA finals. Can she use that win as a springboard to capture her first major?

Always a threat, two-time Wimbledon Champion Petra Kvitova had a solid run in 2015 finished the year at No. 6. Her biggest achievement in 2015 was a straight-set win over Serena in the Madrid semifinals. Will she be able to claim another victory over Serena in 2016?

That brings us to the 2015 WTA Comeback Player of the Year Venus Williams. A few years ago, after being diagnosed with Sjögren’s Syndrome and dropping as low as No. 137, Venus was all but written off. Now back in the top 10 at No. 7, she is playing big and playing to make some history of her own. If there is anyone that can threaten Serena’s dominance, it is Venus.

Rounding off the list at No. 8, 9 and 10 are Lucie Safarova, Angelique Kerber and Karolina Pliskova. Safarova had a good run in 2015 and if there is somebody a top 10 player doesn’t want to see in their half of the draw, it’s Safarova. Is 2016 her year to win a major? At No. 9, Kerber has a winning record win it comes to matches (53). In fact, a record she holds with Serena. The only difference is that she hasn’t won any of those 53 matches on the big stage yet. She’s hoping to change that in 2016. Rounding out the top 10 is Karolina Pliskova who notched the last spot with Flavia Pennetta’s retirement. Time will tell if this big hitter can put together the patience and consistency needed to stay at the top.

So that rounds out the current top 10. But here’s where it gets a little interesting. Sitting at No. 16 and No. 17 respectively, are former No 1s Ana Ivanovic and Caroline Wozniacki. Right below them at No. 21 and No. 22 are two more former No 1s Jelena Jankovic and Victoria Azarenka. Getting back in the top 10 has to be on their minds.

While we don’t know what will happen, we do know we’ll be watching it closely.

Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark hits a return to Petra Cetkovska of the Czech Republic during their match on the fourth day of the 2015 US Open Tennis Championship at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, 03 September 2015. The US Open runs through 13 September, which is a return to a 14-day schedule. EPA/JASON SZENES

Topics: 10sballs.com, Agnieszka Radwanska, Ana Ivanovic, Angelique Kerber, Caro Wozniacki, Cheryl Shrum, Garbine Muguruza, Maria Sharapova, Petra Kvitova, Serena Williams, Simona Halep, Sports, Tennis News, Venus Williams, Wta