.jpg) Simona Halep finished the year asworld No. 1 for the second time in her career. She won three singles tournaments during the season, including amajor at theFrench Open. She also won aPremier 5 event, and finished runner-up at another major, theAustralian Open. | |
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Duration | 30 December 2017 – 11 November 2018 |
| Edition | 48th |
| Tournaments | 58 |
| Categories | Grand Slam (4) WTA Finals WTA Premier Mandatory (4) WTA Premier 5 (5) WTA Premier (12) WTA International (31) WTA Elite Trophy |
| Achievements (singles) | |
| Most titles |  Petra Kvitová (5) |
| Most finals |  Simona Halep (6) |
| Prize money leader | Simona Halep ($7,409,564) |
| Points leader | Simona Halep (6,921) |
| Awards | |
| Player of the year | Simona Halep |
| Doubles team of the year | Barbora KrejčíkováKateřina Siniaková |
| Most improved player of the year |  Kiki Bertens |
| Newcomer of the year |  Aryna Sabalenka |
| Comeback player of the year |  Serena Williams |
←2017 2019 → | |
The2018 WTA Tour was the elite professionaltennis circuit organised by theWomen's Tennis Association (WTA) for the 2018 tennis season. The 2018 WTA Tour calendar comprises theGrand Slam tournaments, supervised by theInternational Tennis Federation (ITF); theWTA Premier tournaments (Premier Mandatory, Premier 5, and regular Premier); theWTA International tournaments; theFed Cup (organized by the ITF) and the year-end championships (theWTA Tour Championships and theWTA Elite Trophy). Also included in the 2018 calendar is theHopman Cup, which is organized by the ITF and does not distribute ranking points.[1]
This is the complete schedule of events on the 2018 calendar, with player progression documented from the quarterfinals stage.
| Grand Slam tournaments |
| Year-end championships |
| WTA Premier Mandatory |
| WTA Premier 5 |
| WTA Premier |
| WTA International |
| Team events |
_(35046161064).jpg)
| Week | Tournament | Champions | Runners-up | Semifinalists | Quarterfinalists |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Mar 12 Mar | Indian Wells Open Indian Wells, United States WTA Premier Mandatory Hard – $8,648,508 – 96S/48Q/32D Singles –Doubles |  Naomi Osaka6–3, 6–2 |  Daria Kasatkina | Simona HalepVenus Williams |  Petra MartićKarolína Plíšková Carla Suárez Navarro Angelique Kerber |
 Hsieh Su-weiBarbora Strýcová6–4, 6–4 | Ekaterina MakarovaElena Vesnina | ||||
| 19 Mar 26 Mar | Miami Open Key Biscayne, United States WTA Premier Mandatory Hard – $8,648,508 – 96S/48Q/32D Singles –Doubles | Sloane Stephens 7–6(7–5), 6–1 |  Jeļena Ostapenko | Victoria AzarenkaDanielle Collins | Karolína PlíškováAngelique Kerber Elina SvitolinaVenus Williams |
 Ashleigh BartyCoCo Vandeweghe6–2, 6–1 | Barbora KrejčíkováKateřina Siniaková |
| Week | Tournament | Champions | Runners-up | Semifinalists | Quarterfinalists |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Nov | Fed Cup Final Prague, Czech Republic – Hard (i) | Czech Republic 3–0 | United States |
These tables present the number ofsingles (S),doubles (D), andmixed doubles (X) titles won by each player and each nation during the season, within all the tournament categories of the 2018 WTA Tour: theGrand Slam tournaments, the year-end championships (theWTA Tour Championships and theWTA Elite Trophy), theWTA Premier tournaments (Premier Mandatory, Premier 5, and regular Premier), and theWTA International tournaments. The players/nations are sorted by:
| Grand Slam tournaments |
| Year-end championships |
| WTA Premier Mandatory |
| WTA Premier 5 |
| WTA Premier |
| WTA International |
| Total | Nation | Grand Slam | Year-end | Premier Mandatory | Premier 5 | Premier | International | Total | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S | D | X | S | D | S | D | S | D | S | D | S | D | S | D | X | ||
| 16 | Czech Republic (CZE) | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 0 | ||||
| 12 | Russia (RUS) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 0 | |||||||
| 11 | United States (USA) | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 2 | |||||||
| 11 | Netherlands (NED) | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 0 | |||||||
| 11 |  China (CHN) | 3 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 9 | 0 | ||||||||||
| 10 |  Belgium (BEL) | 1 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 0 | ||||||||||
| 8 | Romania (ROU) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 | ||||||||
| 8 | Germany (GER) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 0 | ||||||||
| 8 | Australia (AUS) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 0 | |||||||
| 7 |  France (FRA) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 0 | |||||||||
| 7 | Ukraine (UKR) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | ||||||||
| 5 |  Hungary (HUN) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | ||||||||
| 5 | Chinese Taipei (TPE) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | |||||||||
| 5 |  Slovenia (SLO) | 1 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |||||||||||
| 4 |  Canada (CAN) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | ||||||||||
| 4 | Japan (JPN) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | |||||||||
| 4 | Spain (ESP) | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | |||||||||||
| 3 |  Denmark (DEN) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
| 3 |  Serbia (SRB) | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | |||||||||||
| 2 | Belarus (BLR) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||
| 2 | Latvia (LAT) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |||||||||||
| 2 |  Italy (ITA) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |||||||||||
| 2 |  Sweden (SWE) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |||||||||||
| 2 |  Great Britain (GBR) | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 1 |  Switzerland (SUI) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 1 |  Slovakia (SVK) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 1 |  Chile (CHI) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Croatia (CRO) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 1 |  Poland (POL) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 1 |  South Korea (KOR) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||||||||||
The following players won their first main circuit title in singles, doubles, or mixed doubles:
Naomi Osaka –Indian Wells (draw)Aleksandra Krunić –Rosmalen (draw)Tatjana Maria –Mallorca (draw)Olga Danilović –Moscow International (draw)Wang Qiang –Nanchang (draw)Mihaela Buzărnescu –San Jose (draw)Aryna Sabalenka –New Haven (draw)Dayana Yastremska –Hong Kong (draw)Simona Halep –Shenzhen (draw)Bibiane Schoofs –Auckland (draw)Georgina García Pérez –Budapest (draw)Fanny Stollár –Budapest (draw)Naomi Broady –Monterrey (draw)Sara Sorribes Tormo –Monterrey (draw)Irina Khromacheva –Bogotá (draw)Anna Blinkova –Rabat (draw)Mihaela Buzărnescu –Strasbourg (draw)Alexa Guarachi –Gstaad (draw)Desirae Krawczyk –Gstaad (draw)Anastasia Potapova –Moscow International (draw)Choi Ji-hee –Seoul (draw)Han Na-lae –Seoul (draw)Olga Danilović –Tashkent (draw)Tamara Zidanšek –Tashkent (draw)Greet Minnen –Luxembourg City (draw)Alison Van Uytvanck –Luxembourg City (draw)The following players defended a main circuit title in singles, doubles, or mixed doubles:
Elise Mertens –Hobart (draw)Elina Svitolina –Dubai (draw),Rome (draw)Lesia Tsurenko –Acapulco (draw)Petra Kvitová –Birmingham (draw)Raquel Atawo –Stuttgart (draw)Květa Peschke –Prague (draw)Irina-Camelia Begu –Bucharest (draw)Jiang Xinyu –Nanchang (draw)Tang Qianhui –Nanchang (draw)Johanna Larsson –Linz (draw)Tímea Babos –WTA Finals (draw)The following players achieved their career high ranking in this season inside top 50 (inbold the players who entered the top 10 for the first time):
Carina Witthöft (reached place No. 48 on January 8)Magdaléna Rybáriková (reached place No. 17 on March 5)Jeļena Ostapenko (reached placeNo. 5 on March 19)Markéta Vondroušová (reached place No. 50 on March 19)Aleksandra Krunić (reached place No. 39 on June 18)Sloane Stephens (reached placeNo. 3 on July 16)Mihaela Buzărnescu (reached place No. 20 on August 6)Danielle Collins (reached place No. 35 on August 6)Alison Van Uytvanck (reached place No. 37 on August 13)Julia Görges (reached placeNo. 9 on August 20)Caroline Garcia (reached placeNo. 4 on September 10)Lesia Tsurenko (reached place No. 26 on September 10)Aliaksandra Sasnovich (reached place No. 30 on September 10)
Maria Sakkari (reached place No. 29 on September 24)Naomi Osaka (reached placeNo. 4 on October 8)Aryna Sabalenka (reached place No. 11 on October 8)Anastasija Sevastova (reached place No. 11 on October 15)Kiki Bertens (reached placeNo. 9 on October 22)Daria Kasatkina (reached placeNo. 10 on October 22)
Anett Kontaveit (reached place No. 20 on October 22)Camila Giorgi (reached place No. 26 on October 22)Kateřina Siniaková (reached place No. 31 on October 22)Petra Martić (reached place No. 32 on October 22)Donna Vekić (reached place No. 34 on October 22)Ajla Tomljanović (reached place No. 43 on October 22)Sofia Kenin (reached place No. 48 on October 29)Ashleigh Barty (reached place No. 15 on November 5)Wang Qiang (reached place No. 20 on November 5)Elise Mertens (reached place No. 12 on November 26)Zheng Saisai (reached place No. 39 on November 26)Shuko Aoyama (reached place No. 27 on January 15)Nadiia Kichenok (reached place No. 36 on January 29)Nina Stojanović (reached place No. 50 on February 5)Monique Adamczak (reached place No. 44 on February 19)Gabriela Dabrowski (reached placeNo. 7 on March 19)Xu Yifan (reached placeNo. 9 on March 19)Monica Niculescu (reached place No. 11 on April 2)Kiki Bertens (reached place No. 16 on April 16)Kirsten Flipkens (reached place No. 35 on April 16)Ashleigh Barty (reached placeNo. 5 on May 21)Anna Smith (reached place No. 46 on May 21)Ekaterina Makarova (reached placeNo. 1 on June 11)Elena Vesnina (reached placeNo. 1 on June 11)Tímea Babos (reached placeNo. 1 on July 16)Andreja Klepač (reached place No. 12 on July 16)Yang Zhaoxuan (reached place No. 20 on August 13)Heather Watson (reached place No. 42 on August 20)Kaitlyn Christian (reached place No. 49 on August 20)Dalila Jakupović (reached place No. 38 on September 10)Irina Khromacheva (reached place No. 45 on September 10)Irina-Camelia Begu (reached place No. 22 on October 1)Lyudmyla Kichenok (reached place No. 34 on October 1)Nicole Melichar (reached place No. 15 on October 8)Lidziya Marozava (reached place No. 36 on October 15)Barbora Krejčíková (reached placeNo. 1 on October 22)Kateřina Siniaková (reached placeNo. 1 on October 22)Demi Schuurs (reached placeNo. 7 on October 22)Elise Mertens (reached place No. 11 on October 22)Makoto Ninomiya (reached place No. 20 on October 22)Mihaela Buzărnescu (reached place No. 24 on October 22)Alicja Rosolska (reached place No. 29 on October 22)Barbora Strýcová (reached placeNo. 5 on October 29)CoCo Vandeweghe (reached place No. 14 on October 29)These are theWTA rankings of the top 20 singles players, doubles players, and the top 10 doubles teams on the WTA Tour, at the current date of the 2018 season.[2][3]
| Holder | Date gained | Date forfeited |
|---|---|---|
| Simona Halep | Year end 2017 | 28 January 2018 |
| Caroline Wozniacki | 29 January 2018 | 25 February 2018 |
| Simona Halep | 26 February 2018 | Year end 2018 |
Player competed at the2018 WTA Finals |
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| Holder | Date gained | Date forfeited |
|---|---|---|
| Latisha ChanMartina Hingis | Year end 2017 | 11 February 2018 |
| Latisha Chan | 12 February 2018 | 18 February 2018 |
| Latisha Chan Martina Hingis | 19 February 2018 | 18 March 2018 |
| Latisha Chan | 19 March 2018 | 10 June 2018 |
| Ekaterina MakarovaElena Vesnina | 11 June 2018 | 15 July 2018 |
| Tímea Babos | 16 July 2018 | 12 August 2018 |
| Latisha Chan | 13 August 2018 | 19 August 2018 |
| Tímea Babos | 20 August 2018 | 21 October 2018 |
| Barbora KrejčíkováKateřina Siniaková | 22 October 2018 | Year end 2018 |
| # | Player | Singles | Doubles | Mixed | Year-to-date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Simona Halep | $6,314,890 | $44,674 | $0 | $7,409,564 | |
| 2 | Caroline Wozniacki | $6,007,719 | $0 | $0 | $6,657,719 | |
| 3 | Naomi Osaka | $6,394,289 | $0 | $0 | $6,394,289 | |
| 4 | Elina Svitolina | $5,213,643 | $16,366 | $7,238 | $5,737,247 | |
| 5 | Angelique Kerber | $5,686,362 | $0 | $0 | $5,686,362 | |
| 6 | Sloane Stephens | $5,028,342 | $35,280 | $4,477 | $5,068,099 | |
| 7 | Serena Williams | $3,746,057 | $24,113 | $0 | $3,770,170 | |
| 8 | Karolína Plíšková | $3,054,150 | $34,900 | $0 | $3,539,050 | |
| 9 | Petra Kvitová | $3,301,389 | $0 | $0 | $3,301,389 | |
| 10 | Kiki Bertens | $3,023,982 | $139,706 | $0 | $3,163,688 | |
as of December 4, 2018[update][9]
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| Category | W | F | SF | QF | R16 | R32 | R64 | R128 | Q | Q3 | Q2 | Q1 |
| Grand Slam (S) | 2000 | 1300 | 780 | 430 | 240 | 130 | 70 | 10 | 40 | 30 | 20 | 2 |
| Grand Slam (D) | 2000 | 1300 | 780 | 430 | 240 | 130 | 10 | – | 40 | – | – | – |
| WTA Finals (S) | 1500* | 1080* | 750* | (+125 per round robin match; +125 per round robin win) | ||||||||
| WTA Finals (D) | 1500 | 1080 | 750 | 375 | – | |||||||
| WTA Premier Mandatory (96S) | 1000 | 650 | 390 | 215 | 120 | 65 | 35 | 10 | 30 | – | 20 | 2 |
| WTA Premier Mandatory (64/60S) | 1000 | 650 | 390 | 215 | 120 | 65 | 10 | – | 30 | – | 20 | 2 |
| WTA Premier Mandatory (28/32D) | 1000 | 650 | 390 | 215 | 120 | 10 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| WTA Premier 5 (56S, 64Q) | 900 | 585 | 350 | 190 | 105 | 60 | 1 | – | 30 | 22 | 15 | 1 |
| WTA Premier 5 (56S, 48/32Q) | 900 | 585 | 350 | 190 | 105 | 60 | 1 | – | 30 | - | 20 | 1 |
| WTA Premier 5 (28D) | 900 | 585 | 350 | 190 | 105 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| WTA Premier 5 (16D) | 900 | 585 | 350 | 190 | 1 | - | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| WTA Premier (56S) | 470 | 305 | 185 | 100 | 55 | 30 | 1 | – | 25 | – | 13 | 1 |
| WTA Premier (32S) | 470 | 305 | 185 | 100 | 55 | 1 | – | – | 25 | 18 | 13 | 1 |
| WTA Premier (16D) | 470 | 305 | 185 | 100 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| WTA Elite Trophy (S) | 700* | 440* | 240* | (+40 per round robin match; +80 per round robin win) | ||||||||
| WTA International (32S, 32Q) | 280 | 180 | 110 | 60 | 30 | 1 | – | – | 18 | 14 | 10 | 1 |
| WTA International (32S, 24/16Q) | 280 | 180 | 110 | 60 | 30 | 1 | – | – | 18 | - | 12 | 1 |
| WTA International (16D) | 280 | 180 | 110 | 60 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
S = singles players, D = doubles teams, Q = qualification players.
* Assumes undefeated round robin match record.
| Month | Winner | Other candidates |
|---|---|---|
| January[10] | Simona Halep (ROU) (71%) | Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) (25%) Angelique Kerber (GER) (3%) Elina Svitolina (UKR) (1%) |
| February[11] | Petra Kvitová (CZE) (78%) | Elina Svitolina (UKR) (19%) Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP) (3%) |
| March[12] | Naomi Osaka (JPN) (52%) | Daria Kasatkina (RUS) (20%) Sloane Stephens (USA) (15%) Jeļena Ostapenko (LAT) (13%) |
| April[13] | Karolína Plíšková (CZE) | Kiki Bertens (NED) Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP) |
| May[14] | Simona Halep (ROU) | Petra Kvitová (CZE) Sloane Stephens (USA) Elina Svitolina (UKR) |
| June[15] | Petra Kvitová (CZE) | Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) Ashleigh Barty (AUS) |
| July[16] | Angelique Kerber (GER) | Mihaela Buzărnescu (ROU) Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) Anastasija Sevastova (LAT) Alizé Cornet (FRA) |
| August[17] | Naomi Osaka (JPN) | Simona Halep (ROU) Serena Williams (USA) Kiki Bertens (NED) |
| September[18] | Aryna Sabalenka (BLR) | Naomi Osaka (JPN) Karolína Plíšková (CZE) |
| October[19] | Elina Svitolina (UKR) | Aryna Sabalenka (BLR) Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) Sloane Stephens (USA) |
| Month | Winner | Other candidates |
|---|---|---|
| January[20] | Hsieh Su-wei (TPE) (42%) | Elise Mertens (BEL) (36%) Aliaksandra Sasnovich (BLR) (20%) Bernarda Pera (USA) (2%) |
| February[21] | Daria Kasatkina (RUS) (50%) | Kateryna Kozlova (UKR) (35%) Viktória Kužmová (SVK) (15%) |
| March[22] | Danielle Collins (USA) (79%) | Amanda Anisimova (USA) (21%) |
| April[23] | Ana Bogdan (ROU) | Marta Kostyuk (UKR) Bernarda Pera (USA) |
| May[24] | Mihaela Buzărnescu (ROU) | Daria Kasatkina (RUS) Anett Kontaveit (EST) |
| June[25] | Tatjana Maria (GER) | Aleksandra Krunić (SRB) Sofia Kenin (USA) |
| July[26] | Wang Qiang (CHN) | Olga Danilović (SRB) Maria Sakkari (GRE) Anastasia Potapova (RUS) |
| August[27] | Aryna Sabalenka (BLR) | Anastasija Sevastova (LAT) Lesia Tsurenko (UKR) Markéta Vondroušová (CZE) Ashleigh Barty (AUS) |
| September[28] | Anett Kontaveit (EST) | Wang Qiang (CHN) Donna Vekić (CRO) |
| October[29] | Ashleigh Barty (AUS) | Kiki Bertens (NED) Anastasija Sevastova (LAT) |
| Month | Winner | Other candidates |
|---|---|---|
| January[30] | Agnieszka Radwańska (POL) (59%) | Maria Sharapova (RUS) (20%) Angelique Kerber (GER) (18%) Daria Gavrilova (AUS) (2%) Johanna Konta (GBR) (1%) |
| February[31] | Maria Sharapova (RUS) (32%) | Petra Kvitová (CZE) (27%) Agnieszka Radwańska (POL) (20%) Anastasia Potapova (RUS) (13%) Angelique Kerber (GER) (8%) |
| March[32] | Simona Halep (ROU) (81%) | Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) (7%) Naomi Osaka (JPN) (5%) Caroline Dolehide (USA) (4%) Angelique Kerber (GER) (3%) |
| April[33] | Maria Sharapova (RUS) | Julia Görges (GER) Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) Kiki Bertens (NED) Alizé Cornet (FRA) |
| May[34] | Simona Halep (ROU) | Petra Kvitová (CZE) Maria Sharapova (RUS) Angelique Kerber (GER) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) |
| June[35] | Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) | Petra Kvitová (CZE) Aleksandra Krunić (SRB) CoCo Vandeweghe (USA) Dominika Cibulková (SVK) |
| July[36] | Magda Linette (POL) | Venus Williams (USA) Victoria Azarenka (BLR) Sloane Stephens (USA) Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) |
| August[37] | Maria Sharapova (RUS) | Petra Kvitová (CZE) Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) Caroline Garcia (FRA) Angelique Kerber (GER) |
| September[38] | Hsieh Su-wei (TPE) | Petra Kvitová (CZE) Naomi Osaka (JPN) Dominika Cibulková (SVK) Amanda Anisimova (USA) |
| October[39] |  Ons Jabeur (TUN) | Elina Svitolina (UKR) Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) Kiki Bertens (NED) Ashleigh Barty (AUS) Wang Qiang (CHN) |
Following is a list of notable players (winners of a main tour title, and/or part of the WTA rankings top 100 [singles] or top 100 [doubles] for at least one week) who announced their retirement from professional tennis, became inactive (after not playing for more than 52 weeks), or were permanently banned from playing, during the 2018 season:
Annika Beck (born 16 February 1994 inGießen, Germany) joined the professional tour in 2009 and reached a career-high ranking of no. 37 in singles and no. 84 in doubles. She won two singles titles and one doubles title on the WTA Tour, as well as seven singles titles on the ITF Women's Circuit. After having not played since October 2017 (2017 ITF Poitiers) due to ongoing injuries, Beck decided to end her tennis career in October 2018 in favour of academic pursuits.[40]Eva Birnerová (born 14 August 1984 inDuchcov,Czechoslovakia, (modern day Czech Republic)) joined the professional tour in 2002 and reached a career-high ranking of no. 59 in singles and no. 52 in doubles. She reached one WTA singles final in Tashkent in 2011. She also won three doubles titles on the WTA Tour, as well as eight singles titles on the ITF Women's Circuit. After having not played in over four years, Birnerová decided to retire in November 2018.Chuang Chia-jung (born 10 January 1985 inKaohsiung,Taiwan) joined the professional tour in 2001 and reached a career-high ranking of no. 177 in singles and no. 5 in doubles. PartneringLatisha Chan, Chuang reached the final of the2007 Australian Open and the2007 US Open women's doubles events. She also won twenty-two doubles titles on the WTA Tour, two doubles titles in the WTA 125K series, as well as ten singles titles on the ITF Women's Circuit. Chuang decided to retire in November 2018.Casey Dellacqua (born 11 February 1985 inPerth, Australia) joined the professional tour in 2002 and reached a career-high ranking of no. 26 in singles and no. 3 in doubles. She has reached seven grand slam doubles finals and won 7 doubles titles. She also won the2011 French Open mixed doubles event alongsideScott Lipsky. Dellacqua played her last professional match in February during adeciding Fed Cup doubles tie.[41]
Marina Erakovic (born 6 March 1988 inSplit,SFR Yugoslavia, (modern day Croatia)) joined the professional tour in 2005 and reached a career-high ranking of no. 39 in singles and no. 25 in doubles. She won 1 WTA Singles title in Memphis in 2013, along with 8 WTA doubles titles. She enjoyed more success at Grand Slam level in doubles, reaching the semi-finals of Wimbledon in 2011, as well as the quarterfinals at the US Open in 2008 and the French Open in 2013 and 2014. She was plagued by injury throughout her career and, after missing the entirety of the 2018 season with a back injury, she announced her retirement in December 2018.[42]Bojana Jovanovski Petrović (born 31 December 1991 inBelgrade,Serbia) joined the professional tour in 2006 and reached a career-high ranking of no. 32 in singles and no. 203 in doubles. She won 2 WTA Tour singles titles, as well as 1 WTA 125K Series Title in 2013 and 4 ITF singles titles. She was part of the Serbian team that finished runner-up to the Czech Republic at the2012 Fed Cup. Jovanovski Petrović underwent surgery for a shoulder injury in 2016, and despite making a limited comeback on the ITF Circuit at the beginning of the season, she decided to end her career in November 2018.[43]Karin Knapp (born 28 June 1987 inBruneck, Italy) joined the professional tour in 2002 and reached a career-high ranking of no. 33 in singles and no. 49 in doubles. Knapp won 2 singles titles during her career. As a member of theItalianFed Cup team, Knapp was part of the squad that won the title in2013. After having not played tournaments since the previous year's Australian Open and due to a chronic knee injury, she announced her retirement in May 2018.[44]Anabel Medina Garrigues(born 12 April 1982 inValencia, Spain) joined the professional tour in 1998 and reached a career-high ranking of no. 16 in singles and no. 3 in doubles. Medina Garrigues won 11 singles titles and 28 doubles titles during her career. She won two Grand Slams titles at the2008 and2009 French Open and an olympics silver medal alongside partnerVirginia Ruano Pascual also in2008. Later in her career, she became part ofJeļena Ostapenko's coaching staff, coaching her to win the2017 French Open singles title. She announced that the 2018 US Open would be her final tournament.[45]Agnieszka Radwańska (born 6 March 1989 inKraków,Poland) joined the professional tour in 2005 and reached a career-high ranking of no. 2 in singles and no. 16 in doubles. Radwańska won 20 singles titles and 2 doubles titles during her career. She reached the final of the2012 Wimbledon singles event, becoming the first Polish woman in the Open era to reach a grand slam singles final. Her biggest title came at2015 WTA Finals inSingapore where she again became the first Pole to lift the trophy. She also won the2015 Hopman Cup withJerzy Janowicz for her nation. Her other achievements include winning the WTA Fan Favourite Award six times and Shot of the Year five times. Radwańska announced her retirement on 14 November 2018 due to health issues.[46]Virginie Razzano (born 12 May 1983 inDijon, France) joined the professional tour in 1999 and reached a career-high ranking of no. 16 in singles and no. 82 in doubles. Razzano won two WTA singles titles, both in 2007, as well as 1 WTA doubles title and 5 ITF singles titles. She was, however, perhaps best known for being so far the only player to defeatSerena Williams in the first round of a Grand Slam singles tournament, namely the2012 French Open. She announced her retirement in December 2018.[47]Olga Savchuk (born 20 September 1987 inMakiivka, Soviet Union (modern day Ukraine)) joined the professional tour in 2004 and reached a career-high ranking of no. 79 in singles and no. 33 in doubles. Her greatest achievement in singles came at the2006 Australian Open, reaching the third round as a qualifier. Savchuk was primarily a doubles specialist, winning 3 titles in her career, and reaching the quarterfinals ofRoland Garros in 2017. She announced that the2018 US Open would be her last tournament.[48]Francesca Schiavone (born 23 June 1980 inMilan, Italy) joined the professional tour in 1998 and reached a career-high ranking of no. 4 in singles and no. 8 in doubles. Schiavone won 8 singles titles and 7 doubles titles during her career, including her most prestigious, the2010 French Open singles title. She also reached the French Open final in2011 and made quarterfinal appearances in all the other three majors. Schiavone also reached the semifinals or better at all Grand Slam doubles events, finishing runner-up at the2008 French Open alongside partnerCasey Dellacqua. As a member of theItalianFed Cup team, Schiavone was part of the squads that won the title in2006,2009 and2010. Initially first planned to be retired after the 2017 season, she announced her retirement from tennis via a press conference during the2018 US Open following her last tournament (Gstaad) in July.[49]Patty Schnyder (born 14 December 1978 inBasel, Switzerland) joined the professional tour in 1996 and reached a career-high ranking of no. 7 in singles. Schnyder was a six-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist, and won 11 singles titles and 5 doubles titles during her career. After initially retiring in 2011, Schnyder returned to the tour in 2015, playing mostly on the ITF Women's Circuit and reaching a peak of number 139 in the rankings. Schnyder retired for a second and final time in November 2018.[50]Patricia Maria Țig (born 27 July 1994 inCaransebeș,Romania) joined the professional tour in 2009 and reached a career-high ranking of no. 83 in singles and no. 155 in doubles. Țig reached 1 WTA singles final and 2 doubles finals during her career, losing all 3 of them. She also made first round appearances in all four majors. After a period of struggling with her performances in the second half of 2017 season, she decided to focus on her health, citing back pain as the main source of discomfort. Her last played tournament was the (Guangzhou Open) in September 2017. Țig became an inactive player on 24 September 2018 after not playing for 52 consecutive weeks.[51][52]Roberta Vinci (born 18 February 1983 inTaranto, Italy) joined the professional tour in 1999 and reached a career-high ranking of no. 7 in singles and no. 1 in doubles. Vinci won 10 singles titles and 25 doubles titles during her career. She reached the final of the2015 US Open singles event and won five grand slams doubles titles alongside compatriotSara Errani, with whom she completed theCareer Grand Slam. As a member of theItalianFed Cup team, Vinci was part of the four Italian title-winning squads in2006,2009,2010 and2013. Vinci announced that the 2018Italian Open would be her final tournament.[53]Aleksandra Wozniak (born 7 September 1987 inMontreal, Canada) joined the professional tour in 2005 and reached a career-high ranking of no. 21 in singles and no. 136 in doubles. Wozniak won one WTA singles title inStanford in 2008, as well as 11 ITF singles titles. Wozniak struggled with injuries throughout most of her career, and had played predominantly on the ITF Circuit since 2015. She announced her retirement from tennis in December 2018 at the age of 31.[54]Following are notable players who will come back after retirements during the 2018 WTA Tour season:
Marion Bartoli(born 2 October 1984 inLe Puy-en-Velay, France) joined the professional tour in 2000 and reached a career-high ranking of no. 7 in singles and no. 15 in doubles. Bartoli won 8 singles titles and 3 doubles titles during her career, with her final singles title being her most prestigious, at the2013 Wimbledon Championships where she defeatedSabine Lisicki to claim her only grand slam title. In addition, she reached the final of Wimbledon in2007 where she lost toVenus Williams, and also reached the quarterfinals or better at each of the other three majors. Bartoli announced her retirement in August 2013 after theCincinnati Open. In December 2017 she announced that she would return to the professional tennis tour in 2018.[55] Bartoli was awarded a wildcard at the2018 Mexican Open but withdrew before the tournament stating that she was injured and that she hoped to be fully fit for the grass season. However, as a result of ongoing injuries, Bartoli decided to abandon her comeback attempt in June.[56][57]Rebecca Marino(born 16 December 1990 inToronto, Canada) joined the professional tour in 2008 and reached a career-high ranking of no. 38 in singles. She reached her first and only tour-level final at the2011 U.S. National Indoor Tennis Championships, losing toMagdaléna Rybáriková. She took a break from tennis to deal with mental and physical fatigue from February to August 2012. After playing some ITF and WTA tournaments, she decided in late February 2013 to take a second break from tennis with no timetable for her return. Marino started training again during the first week of September 2017 and decided to return to competition in October 2017, after being away from the game for nearly five years. She was scheduled to play an ITF 60K event inSaguenay but her comeback was delayed of three months due to ITF administrative regulations. She returned at an ITF 15K event inAntalya at the end of January 2018 and won the title in her first tournament back.[58]
