With the 2023 season just over a month old, Zhu Lin, Linda Noskova and Alycia Parks already have had breakthrough seasons on the Hologic WTA Tour. On Monday, each of them posted a new career-high singles ranking. Here are quick hits on their years so far:
Zhu Lin (+13, from No.54 to No.41): One week ago, Zhu posted a new career-high ranking of No.54, and she has already bettered that peak again. Zhu moves to the cusp of the Top 40 after she won the first WTA singles title of her career, in Hua Hin.
Zhu, who started the season ranked No.84, considered retiring earlier in her career, but she continued on and is being rewarded with her best season yet.
From comedy to heartbreak, five things to know about Zhu Lin
The 29-year-old is 10-3 so far this year, including her Grand Slam breakthrough at the Australian Open, where she beat Maria Sakkari for her first Top 10 win on her way to her first Round of 16 at a major.
Linda Noskova (+6, from No.56 to No.50): Noskova makes her Top 50 debut after her run to the quarterfinals as a qualifier in Lyon, where she took down former World No.1 Garbiñe Muguruza in the opening round.
'A dream come true': Linda Noskova makes her move on tour
Noskova, 18, started the year just outside the Top 100, but she has already halved her ranking since the beginning of the year. Her rise was bolstered by making the WTA 500 Adelaide International 1 final, also as a qualifier, in the first week of this season.
Noskova beat two Top 10 players that week in Adelaide, No.2 Ons Jabeur and No.8 Daria Kasatkina.
Fearless. Flawless.
— wta (@WTA) January 30, 2023
Storming her way through qualifying, 18-year-old 🇨🇿Linda Nosková hits her way past Muguruza 6-1, 6-4 to reach R2 in Lyon!#O6SML23 pic.twitter.com/Cg9TtL0JSy
Alycia Parks (+28, from No.79 to No.51): The biggest rankings jump of the week belongs to 22-year-old American Parks, who swept to her first WTA singles title last week in Lyon.
Shot of the year contender? Parks pulls off tweener-lob in Lyon
Parks started the year at a career-high ranking of No.75 after winning back-to-back WTA 125 titles in Andorra and Angers, France, in December.
🏆
— wta (@WTA) February 5, 2023
With the crown, @TheRealAParks is on the cusp of the top 50 😃#O6SML23 pic.twitter.com/uVMxscVpJG
An early loss in Australian Open qualifying did not dent her momentum, and Parks swiftly moved on to Lyon, where she reached her first tour-level semifinal and final.
Guided by faith, Alycia Parks readies for a breakout 2023 season
Parks capped off her week with a victory against Caroline Garcia, her first career win against a Top 5 opponent, and is now 6-1 for the year.