Over this fortnight, the WTA Editorial team will be revisiting the hottest shots and most remarkable rallies of the 2023 season.
Best of 2023: January | February (Middle East/Europe) | February/March (North America) | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | October/November
In July, the Hologic WTA Tour moved on to one of the most underrated swings of the calendar. The post-Wimbledon European WTA 250s serve as a breather after the hectic preceding months, but have also historically provided venues for up-and-comers and lesser-known players to shine. Our seventh video roundup encompasses Palermo, Budapest, Hamburg and Lausanne on clay, and Warsaw on hard courts.
Two of the breakout teenage stars of this swing were Maria Timofeeva, who won Budapest as a lucky loser making her WTA main draw debut -- pulling off a superb defensive dropshot along the way. A week later, Noma Noha Akugue made the Hamburg final as a wild card making her WTA main draw debut, impressing with her power on the run.
Elsewhere, Aurora Zantedeschi found winning shots behind the back and through the legs in Palermo, and Karolina Muchova showed she possesses every shot in the book in winning a pair of absurd all-court efforts in Warsaw.
20. Jule Niemeier, Hamburg R1 vs. Ella Seidel
19. Tamara Korpatsch, Hamburg R2 vs. Daria Saville
18. Maria Lourdes Carle, Hamburg R1 vs. Tamara Korpatsch
17. Maria Timofeeva, Budapest QF vs. Kaja Juvan
16. Erika Andreeva, Palermo R2 vs. Camila Osorio
15. Mayar Sherif, Palermo R1 vs. Jessica Bouzas Maneiro
14. Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, Palermo R1 vs. Mayar Sherif
13. Yulia Putintseva, Hamburg R2 vs. Jule Niemeier
12. Noma Noha Akugue, Hamburg R2 vs. Storm Hunter
11. Clara Tauson, Warsaw R2 vs. Tatjana Maria
10. Erika Andreeva, Palermo R2 vs. Camila Osorio
9. Tamara Korpatsch, Hamburg R2 vs. Daria Saville
8. Claire Liu, Warsaw R2 vs. Iga Swiatek
7. Laura Siegemund, Warsaw QF vs. Lucrezia Stefanini
6. Clara Burel, Palermo R1 vs. Julia Grabher
5. Aurora Zantedeschi, Palermo R1 vs. Diane Parry
4. Aurora Zantedeschi, Palermo R1 vs. Diane Parry
3. Mayar Sherif, Palermo SF vs. Zheng Qinwen
2. Karolina Muchova, Warsaw R2 vs. Rebecca Sramkova
1. Karolina Muchova, Warsaw R2 vs. Rebecca Sramkova