breakthrough of the month

Vote: February 2018 WTA Breakthrough of the Month

2m read 05 Mar 2018 7y ago

A trio of rising WTA stars had strong second months of the year - so it's time to vote for February's WTA Breakthrough of the Month!

Have a look at the nominees and cast your vote before Thursday at 11:59 p.m. ET! The winner will be announced Friday, March 9.

February 2018 WTA Breakthrough of the Month Finalists

Viktoria Kuzmova: Slovakian teenager Kuzmova reached her first WTA semifinal as a lucky loser at the Hungarian Ladies' Open in Budapest, with her run only stopped by eventual champion and former Grand Slam quarterfinalist Alison Van Uytvanck.

After falling in the final round of qualifying in heartbreaking fashion, failing to convert match points against Ysaline Bonaventure, Kuzmova was given a second chance as a lucky loser when Kristyna Pliskova withdrew due to the flu.

Kuzmova made the most of her spot, as she upset No.4 seed Sorana Cirstea in the first round, and added scalps over former Wimbledon finalist Sabine Lisicki and Petra Martic to her tally at the WTA International event.

Kateryna Kozlova: Kozlova also broke new ground in February, reaching her first WTA final at the Taiwan Open before falling to Timea Babos, and rising to a new career-high ranking of World No.62 as a result.

The Ukrainian No.3 was unseeded in Taipei City, but scored a first-round upset over No.2 seed Zhang Shuai, came from a set down to defeat Duan Ying-ying in round two, and also upset No.5 seed Yulia Putintseva in the quarterfinals.

Daria Kasatkina: It was a breakthrough of a different sort for Daria Kasatkina in February, as she cracked the Top 20 in the WTA rankings for the first time thanks in part to a semifinal showing in St. Petersburg, and a runner-up finish in Dubai.

On home soil, she earned her third career victory over a WTA World No.1 with a win against Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki, and had a marathon week in Dubai en route to the Premier-level final.

The Russian slogged her way through a pair of three-hour upsets, saving match points against both No.7 seed Johanna Konta and No.2 seed Garbiñe Muguruza to reach the third Premier final of her career. She added victories against compatriots Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Elena Vesnina over the course of the week as well.

Who was your breakthrough player in February? Vote now!