WTA Tour: What's happened since the Australian Open

Serena Williams

The stars
Chinese superstar Li got her just desserts in January, winning her second career major. She has gone on to frank her form, albeit without collecting any more silverware. Li almost clinched the WTA Premier event in Miami in March, leading 5-2 in the first set of the final against Serena Williams, but the American wrangled her way back in vintage fashion to deny her. Li was rusty in her first tournament after Melbourne, as she bowed out early in Doha. But her performance at Indian Wells (semi-finalist) followed by Miami consolidated her brilliant start to 2014.

Williams has shown few signs of letting up. After her shock fourth-round exit in Melbourne, the 17-time major winner missed the event in Doha due to a back problem. Still feeling the effects of the complaint, she bowed out in the Dubai semi-finals to Alize Cornet. However, a month off did her the world of good, and she came back in devastating fashion, winning her seventh Miami title, dropping just one set in doing so.

The danger signs were on the wall for Victoria Azarenka in Melbourne, where she was bagelled by a player she had beaten the previous seven times, Agnieszka Radwanska. Azarenka, now the world number four, said she hurt her foot in the days leading up to the Australian Open, and it was later confirmed the Belarusian had nerve damage between her toes. Since that quarter-final defeat, she has only managed a first-up loss to Lauren Davis at Indian Wells. Watch this space.

Maria Sharapova looked fairly unconvincing as she bowed out in the fourth round at Melbourne Park, and did little to suggest she'd be a contender at the majors in 2014 until her run to the Miami semis. The Russian lost to long-time nemesis Williams in the last four, and should be pleased with her upturn in form.

The stars-to-be
Dominika Cibulkova has had a dream start to the season. After her run to the final in Australia, the Slovak suffered a somewhat predictable hangover. She lost two Fed Cup singles rubbers, and then retired due to a mystery illness in Doha. However, she dispatched queries of her form and fitness by winning the title in Acapulco, before quarter- and semi-final appearances at the two Premier events in the US - where on both counts she was beaten by '14 nemesis Li.

Canadian glamour girl Eugenie Bouchard stole Australia's heart with a brilliant run to the semis in Melbourne. The 20-year-old has not lit the tour up since, going 3-3 against fellow top-50 players, but did scalp top-10 player Sara Errani at Indian Wells.

The medical room
Azarenka has been seen only once since her loss in Australia, but she's not the only one with foot problems.

Romania's Simona Halep - the world number five - picked up an Achilles injury in Dubai in February, and most recently, missed Miami due to a toe problem. It's a shame Halep hasn't been able to stay fully fit, as she has been in sterling form, fitness aside. She made the quarters in Melbourne, won in Doha and made the Indian Wells semis.
Sharapova's form has also been stunted by ongoing shoulder problems, as she has slipped to ninth in the rankings.

The kids
Madison Keys is the youngest top-50 player as it stands, with the 36th-ranked American a 1995 baby. She spent the best part of five hours on court in Melbourne, bowing out in the second round to Jie Zheng. Since, the 19-year-old has won just the three main-draw matches, but has ran into the likes of Li and Roberta Vinci in Miami and Indian Wells.

The baby of the top-100 is Croatia's Donna Vekic. Just 17 years of age, her 2014 had been underwhelming - to say the least - prior to Miami. With just one main-draw win under her belt heading to Florida, Vekic had to qualify for main-draw honours. The Monte Carlo resident did just that, before storming into the last-32 without dropping a set. World number eight Petra Kvitova ousted Vekic, but not before the teenager climbed into 94th in the rankings.

The journeywomen
Since losing to Sam Stosur on Rod Laver Arena, Czech Klara Zakopalova has ballooned into some hot form. She ran into top-10 player Angelique Kerber in both Paris and Doha, but once on South American soil, little could stop the 32-year-old baseliner. Zakopalova made the Rio de Janeiro final, but went one better the following week in Florianopolis to win just her third career title, and first since 2005.

Japan's Kimiko Date-Krumm is everyone's favourite veteran. Her professional journey has spanned 25 years, including a 12-year hiatus. After returning to the tour in 2008, she has captured imaginations, and her 43-year-old body keeps on keeping on. She is the oldest player in the top-100 by nearly a decade. Since being downed by then 16-year-old Belinda Bencic in Melbourne in January, Date-Krumm has managed to win at least one match wherever she has travelled. Her best effort was a quarter-final appearance at Pattaya City, where she lost to eventual champion Ekaterina Makarova.

Title winners since Australian Open
Paris - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Pattaya City - Ekaterina Makarova
Doha - Simona Halep
Dubai - Venus Williams
Rio de Janeiro - Kurumi Nara (first career title)
Florianopolis - Klara Zakopalova
Acapulco - Dominika Cibulkova
Indian Wells (Masters) - Flavia Pennetta
Miami (Masters) - Serena Williams

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