2019 WTA Player Award Winners Announced

ST PETERSBURG, FL, USA - The WTA announced today the winners of the 2019 WTA Player Awards, as voted on by members of the international media, in addition to the WTA Jerry Diamond ACES Award.

The WTA Player Awards are broken down into five categories, including Player of the Year, Doubles Team of the Year, Most Improved Player of the Year, Newcomer of the Year and Comeback Player of the Year.

The 2019 WTA Player Award winners are:

WTA Player of the Year: Ashleigh Barty (AUS)

• Captured four titles from six finals in 2019 including the Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen crown and her maiden Grand Slam singles trophy at Roland Garros
• Also claimed her career first WTA Premier Mandatory title at the Miami Open presented by Itaú and an additional Premier-level title at the Nature Valley Classic (Birmingham)
• Posted runner-up finishes at the Sydney International and China Open (Beijing)
• Became the first Australian woman to reach the WTA World No.1 ranking since 1976 (Evonne Goolagong Cawley), finishing the season as the WTA Year-End No.1 for the first time in her career
• At the Grand Slam level this season, in addition to lifting the title in Paris, she advanced to the quarterfinals at the Australian Open and the round of 16 at both Wimbledon and the US Open to become the only player to reach the second week at all four majors in 2019
• Recorded the most matches won on Tour this season with 57 victories

WTA Doubles Team of the Year: Timea Babos / Kristina Mladenovic (HUN/FRA)

• Claimed back-to-back titles at the TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Cup followed by their second Grand Slam title together at Roland Garros
• At the Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen, went undefeated in the group stage before becoming the first team to successfully defend the WTA Finals Martina Navratilova Doubles Trophy title in 11 years
• Kicked off their 2019 season by posting a runner-up finish at the Australian Open. The pair also reached the semifinals at Wimbledon and quarterfinals at the US Open
• Following their Grand Slam triumph in Paris, Mladenovic ascended to WTA Doubles World No.1 for the first time in her career on June 10, 2019. Babos achieved the top ranking in 2018, a position she held for 13 weeks

WTA Most Improved Player of the Year: Sofia Kenin (USA)

• Player who finished inside the Top 50 and showed significant improvement throughout the 2019 season.
• Clinched her first career WTA singles titles in 2019 at the Hobart International, Mallorca Open and Guangzhou Open, and reached an additional final at the Abierto Mexicano TELCEL presentado por HSBC (Acapulco)
• One of six players to have lifted three or more trophies this season, joining Barty (4), Ka.Pliskova (4), Andreescu (3), Osaka (3) and Sabalenka (3)
• Holds the Tour-leading record for most hardcourt match wins in 2019 with 38, ahead of Barty with 37
• Claimed her first wins over reigning World No.1s in back-to-back weeks, starting with a victory over Barty at the Rogers Cup presented by National Bank (Toronto) followed by a win over Osaka at the Western & Southern Open (Cincinnati)
• Advanced to the round of 16 at a Grand Slam for the first time in her career at Roland Garros, defeating Serena Williams along the way
• Qualified for the Hengqin Life WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai and competed at the Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen as an alternate
• Broke into the WTA Top 20 on August 19, 2019 and reached as high as No.12. Finished 2018 ranked No.52 and ends 2019 at No.14

WTA Newcomer of the Year: Bianca Andreescu (CAN)

• Player who made Top 100 debut and/or notable accomplishments for the first time during the 2019 season.
• Won three titles this season, including her first Grand Slam at the US Open in her tournament main draw debut to become the first Canadian player – male or female – to win a major singles title
• Additionally, lifted silverware at the BNP Paribas Open (Indian Wells) and on home soil at the Rogers Cup presented by National Bank (Toronto)
• Started the 2019 season with her career first Tour-level final at the ASB Classic (Auckland), where she defeated Caroline Wozniacki and Venus Williams en route
• Following her US Open triumph, broke into the Top 5 and went on to post a career-high ranking of World No.4 on October 21, 2019
• Claimed the first Top 10 wins of her career in 2019, compiling an 8-3 record
• Qualified for the 2019 Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen for the first time in her career
• Jumped 173 ranking spots from her year-end ranking in 2018 (No.178) to finish 2019 at World No.5

WTA Comeback Player of the Year: Belinda Bencic (SUI)

• Player whose ranking previously dropped due to injury or personal reasons and current season's results helped restore ranking.
• 2019 season highlighted by capturing her first Tour-level titles since 2015 at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and the VTB Kremlin Cup (Moscow), as well as reaching her career first Grand Slam semifinal at the US Open
• Following a wrist injury that kept her off the court for five months in 2017, her ranking slipped as low as No.318
• Continued her comeback in 2018, winning back-to-back matches on three occasions, highlighted by a run to the round of 16 at Wimbledon
• Qualified for the 2019 Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen for the first time in her career
• Returned to her career high ranking of World No.7 following her Moscow title (first achieved on February 22, 2016). Finished the 2019 season inside the Top 10 for the first time in her career at No.8, up from No.37 in 2018

WTA Jerry Diamond ACES Award: Kiki Bertens (NED)

Kiki Bertens has earned her first WTA Jerry Diamond ACES Award, which is presented to the player who consistently goes above and beyond in promoting the sport of women’s tennis to fans, media, and local communities by performing off-court promotional and charitable initiatives. In 2019, the Dutchwoman participated in over 40 kids’ clinics, charitable activities, sponsor activations and fan-friendly events around the globe to help bring the game closer to the community.

The WTA Jerry Diamond ACES Award was first introduced in 1995, in memory of former WTA CEO Jerry Diamond, and has recognized players such as Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, Lindsay Davenport, Simona Halep and Elina Svitolina.