SAP Inside the Numbers: Previewing the Asian swing

SAP Inside the Numbers is an ongoing series which looks to preview and reflect on the tour's major swings throughout the season.

The WTA Tour heads to Asia for the final five weeks of the 2018 season. But not all hardcourts are alike. Some players thrive during the hardcourt homestretch, others struggle. SAP and WTA Insider dig deeper into the numbers to highlight what to expect over the final weeks of the season, which culminates for a lucky few at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global and the Hengqin Life WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai. 

2018 Hardcourt Title Winners (Premier level or higher)

Brisbane: Elina Svitolina d. Aliaksandra Sasnovich, 6-2, 6-1. 
Sydney: Angelique Kerber d. Ashleigh Barty, 6-4, 6-4.
Australian Open: Caroline Wozniacki d. Simona Halep, 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-4.

St. Petersburg: Petra Kvitova d. Kristina Mladenovic, 6-1, 6-2.
Doha: Petra Kvitova d. Garbiñe Muguruza, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Dubai: Elina Svitolina d. Daria Kasatkina, 6-4, 6-0. 

Indian Wells: Naomi Osaka d. Daria Kasatkina, 6-3, 6-2.
Miami: Sloane Stephens d. Jelena Ostapenko, 7-6(5), 6-1. 

San Jose: Mihaela Buzarnescu d. Maria Sakkari, 6-1, 6-0.
Montreal: Simona Halep d. Sloane Stephens, 7-6(6), 3-6, 6-4.
Cincinnati: Kiki Bertens d. Simona Halep, 2-6, 7-6(6), 6-2.
New Haven: Aryna Sabalenka d. Carla Suárez Navarro, 6-1, 6-4.
US Open: Naomi Osaka d. Serena Williams, 6-2, 6-4.

Here's who dominated the Asian Swing last year:

Beijing: Caroline Garcia d. Simona Halep, 6-4, 7-6(3)
Wuhan: Caroline Garcia d. Ashleigh Barty, 6-7(3), 7-6(4), 6-2.
Tokyo: Caroline Wozniacki d. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 6-0, 7-5.
Moscow: Julia Goerges d. Daria Kasatkina: 6-1, 6-2.

Seoul: Jelena Ostapenko d. Beatriz Haddad Maia, 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-4.
Guangzhou: Zhang Shuai d. Aleksandra Krunic, 6–2, 3–6, 6–2.
Tashkent: Kateryna Bondarenko d. Timea Babos, 6-4, 6-4.
Tianjin: Maria Sharapova d. Aryna Sabalenka, 7-5, 7-6(8)
Hong Kong: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova d. Daria Gavrilova, 5-7, 6-3, 7-6(3)
Linz: Barbora Strycova d. Magdalena Rybarikova, 6-4, 6-1.
Luxembourg: Carina Witthoeft d. Monica Puig: 6-3, 7-5.

It's no surprise that Agnieszka Radwanska won the biggest title of her career on Asian soil. Asia has been fertile soil for the Pole, who won the 2016 WTA Finals and has tallied 9 of her 20 WTA titles in Asia. Unfortunately, the former World No.2 has seen her ranking drop to No.60 after injuries sidelined her for three months this season.

With Radwanska still trying to find her form, eyes will be on reigning Australian Open and WTA Finals champion Caroline Wozniacki, Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber, and a resurgent Petra Kvitova. The tour-leader in titles this season (5), Kvitova has found particular success in Wuhan, winning the event twice in its four editions. Though still in search of her first Beijing title, Kvitova has also made the quarterfinals or better in four of her last five appearances in the Chinese capital. 

And could this be the year that Kerber snaps her Premier-plus drought? The World No.3 has put together an outstanding season, highlighted by her third Slam title at Wimbledon, but a win in Wuhan or Beijing would give the German her first Premier Mandatory or Premier 5 title of her career. 

Now ranked at a career-high No.4, Caroline Garcia sparked her ascent into the upper echelons of the game last year in Asia. The Frenchwoman won the two biggest titles in her career by becoming the 1st woman to complete a sweep of both Wuhan and Beijing, vaulting her into her first WTA Finals appearance. During that span, she rode a 13-match win streak, which included wins over 5 Top 10 players. But with success comes pressure. Garcia has over 1,900 points to defend over the next weeks. 

Sweeping the Premier 5 and Premier Mandatory events in China is a tough task. Garcia became the first woman to sweep Wuhan and Beijing last season and just the third woman to sweep the two biggest tournaments of the Asian Swing. 

But apart from the women who have traditionally performed well in Asia, 2018 seems primed for new faces to make their mark. US Open champion Naomi Osaka is the only woman to win more than one of the tour's biggest hardcourt events this season, and she'll be looking to secure her qualifying spot in Singapore. Another 20-year-old, Aryna Sabalenka, tore through the North American summer hardcourt season, where she defeated three Top 5 players and won her first WTA title in New Haven. 

Similarly, the Netherlands' Kiki Bertens has transformed herself into a hardcourt stalwart. The 26-year-old defeated six Top 10 players during the North American summer, culminating in her victory over No.1 Simona Halep to win the biggest title of her career in Cincinnati. If Bertens can maintain that level through Asia, she could become the first Dutchwoman to qualify for the WTA Finals in singles.