Serena Williams still stuck on 23 as women’s tennis welcomes 3 new Slam winners in 2018

Here's a quick recap of the major events in Women's Tennis this past year.

The old guard of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic continued to hold sway in the men’s game this year but women’s tennis turned out to be far more unpredictable, throwing up three first-time Grand Slam winners.

2018 was also memorable for the return of Serena Williams to the WTA tour after giving birth to a baby girl. Williams may have lost two Slam finals after her comeback but won millions of hearts in the bargain.

Back in January, Caroline Wozniacki stormed to her maiden Grand Slam triumph Down Under, regaining her world No.1 ranking in the process. After having lost two previous Slam finals, it was third time lucky for the Dane who beat Simona Halep in the title match in three sets. 

Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki celebrates after defeating Romania's Simona Halep during the women's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia

It was another bitter pill to swallow for Halep who finished on the losing side of a Grand Slam final for the third time. However, the Romanian made up for the disappointment in the French Open where she defeated the 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens in the summit clash to fetch her maiden Grand Slam.

Simone Halep of Romania in one of her matches. 

At Wimbledon, Serena Williams – who had skipped the Australian Open and withdrawn from her fourth-round match at the French Open due to injury – advanced to the final but lost to Angelique Kerber. While it was a bitter-sweet moment for Williams and her fans, it was an occasion to savour for Kerber who won her third major – each at a different event.

Germany's Angelique Kerber plays a backhand return during the women's singles quarter-final match on day eleven of The Roland Garros 2018 French Open tennis tournament in Paris on June 6, 2018. 

Williams had to settle for the runner-up spot at the US Open too, suffering another heartbreak. Her fans were inconsolable over her loss in the final where Naomi Osaka created history by becoming the first Japanese player to win a Grand Slam, and that too against a 23-time winner! Osaka was also the second Asian after Li Na to win a major. 

Serena Williams talks with Naomi Osaka, of Japan, after Osaka defeated Williams in the women's final of the U.S. Open tennis tournament on Sept. 8, 2018, in New York

However, Osaka’s victory was overshadowed by multiple violations handed to Williams from chair umpire Carlos Ramos, who took disciplinary action against her on-court behavior and responses. Williams defended herself by claiming that she was a victim of sexist behavior but her tantrum polarized the tennis community.  The third violation that resulted in a game penalty cost Williams her dream to tie Margaret Court’s record of the most major championships in tennis history.

Serena Williams argues with chair umpire Carlos Ramos during a match against Naomi Osaka, of Japan, in the women's final of the U.S. Open tennis tournament on Sept. 8, 2018, in New York.

The WTA finals in October sprang another surprise, with Ukrainian Elena Svitolina bagging the title over her more-fancied rivals. Halep, who started 2018 as World No 1, ended the year in the same position while Kerber stood strong at No 2 and Wozniacki on No 3, followed by Sloane Stephens, Petra Kvitova, Karolina Pliskova, and Daria Kasatkina. Kiki Bertens was awarded the title of the ‘Most Improved Player’ of the year.

With the last eight women’s Grand Slams having crowned eight different champions, showcasing the extraordinary depth on the WTA tour, 2019 is likely to be just as exciting and unpredictable.