Burning questions: Will Naomi Osaka return to Grand Slam glory in 2026?
Earlier in the week, we tackled burning questions and storylines about players inside the Top 10.
Now we're taking a broader view, taking a close look at some of the most intriguing angles and narratives across the rest of the 2026 WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz.
As we've learned over the past few years, it's a pretty safe bet that a host of players outside the Top 10 will win significant titles, score stunning upsets, rise up the rankings and be major factors in the race to the WTA Finals in Riyadh.
With the new season just days away, resident experts Brad Kallet and Greg Garber are breaking down who those players might be, and what we can expect from them this season.
Which player outside the Top 10 has the best chance of winning a Grand Slam?
Brad Kallet: The Australian Open will mark five years since the last time Naomi Osaka has won a Grand Slam. (Has it really been that long?) In fact, as of this past summer, she hadn't even advanced past the third round of a major since that title in Melbourne.
But then the US Open happened, and we were reminded that Osaka's resurgence isn't just a nice story. She appears to be back, at the least as a Slam contender. She delivered a throwback performance in New York, beating former champion Coco Gauff and two-time semifinalist Karolina Muchova en route to the semis, where she narrowly lost to Amanda Anisimova. And that came on the heels of a run to the final in Montreal, where she upset four seeded players.
Seemingly in a great headspace, and armed with momentum and experience, Osaka has a realistic chance of winning her fifth Slam in 2026.
Greg Garber: Zheng Qinwen. More than any other player, I’m looking forward to seeing how Zheng navigates a comeback after late-season elbow surgery. At 23, she’s already an Olympic gold medalist, Grand Slam finalist (2024 Australian Open) and WTA Finals finalist (2024).
Zheng missed more than three months because of that elbow injury, returning for a brief appearance in Beijing before retiring from her round-of-32 match against Linda Noskova. She’s currently ranked No. 24 after playing only 32 matches in 2025, with no titles.
But when she’s healthy … Zheng led all WTA Tour players in 2024 with 445 aces, 87 more than second place Elena Rybakina. She trains on clay in Barcelona (remember, she won the gold on the red clay in Paris), but has the all-court game to be a threat on any surface. She’ll be especially hungry to prove she belongs among the elite players. A Slam would do just that.
Will Naomi Osaka return to the Top 10?
Brad Kallet: As you can probably tell from the answer above, I expect Osaka to return to the Top 10, where she lived for so long in the early part of her career.
She has a opportunity to make up ground in the first half of the season, as she only reached one final (in Auckland) -- her title at the WTA 125 Saint-Malo notwithstanding -- in 2025 prior to Montreal. She'll have more points to defend in North America later in the season, but she could be knocking on the door of the Top 10 (if not in it) by then.
Greg Garber: I actually thought it would happen last year -- and she didn’t miss by much. Osaka was the year-end No. 59 in 2024 and finished this year at No. 16 on the strength of some great work down the stretch on hard courts. She won 11 of 13 matches in Montreal and New York and posted some eye-opening results, particularly the wins over Gauff and Muchova.
At 28 years old, Osaka seems positioned to put together a formidable Part 2 after becoming a mother. She’s won two Australian Opens and US Opens, so she’ll be a serious threat in those events.
Is Victoria Mboko already a Grand Slam contender?
Brad Kallet: Without a doubt. Any player who wins a WTA 1000 has to be considered a Grand Slam contender, especially considering the expansion to a 96-player draw (as was the case in Montreal). We don't need to rehash that run again, but I'd like to remind you that the 19-year-old (who was 18 at the time) beat four Grand Slam champions that week. And she quickly dispelled any one-hit wonder talk after closing out the season with a title in Hong Kong.
Is she a long shot to win one in 2026? Maybe, maybe not. Can she do it? Absolutely.
Greg Garber: Define contender. Is it someone with a legitimate chance to win the title, one that requires seven straight victories against the very best competition? Or someone who can get to a few fourth rounds, and maybe even a quarterfinal this year? Remembering that she’s only 19, I would lean toward the latter.
When last year’s Australian Open was staged, Mboko was playing an ITF W35 in Martinique. She was a revelation at the French Open, winning five matches (including qualifying). But she only won a single match between Wimbledon and the US Open, so there’s lots of room to grow. A contender, yes. But not a threat to win one -- not yet.
Which American outside the Top 10 has the highest upside?
Brad Kallet: Don't sleep on Emma Navarro, who fell back down to Earth a bit (and out of the Top 10) in 2025. She didn't have too many signature moments -- save for her title in Merida -- a year after reaching the quarterfinals of Wimbledon and semifinals of the US Open.
She's still only 24, though, and with fewer eyes and fewer expectations on her coming into 2026, I expect some big results to start the season. I think she's a dark horse in Melbourne, where she reached the quarterfinals last year as the No. 8 seed.
Greg Garber: In my mind, upside describes the gap between past and potential future results. For that reason I'm going with Iva Jovic, who turned 18 the first week of December and will play at that age for the entire 2026 season.
Consider the rapid ascent up the rankings ladder:
Year-end 2023: No. 647
Year-end 2024: No. 206
Year-end 2025: No. 35
Dizzying. The big leap came in Guadalajara, where Jovic won the WTA 500 title. You have been warned.
Who's the most dangerous player in the world outside the Top 50?
Brad Kallet: I'm all in on the Alexandra Eala bandwagon. The obvious reason is what she accomplished in Miami last year, coming in ranked 140th in the world and defeating three Slam champions to reach the semifinals, where she lost a heartbreaker to Jessica Pegula. But I was nearly as impressed with how she performed the rest of the year, when there was less of a spotlight on her and some of that South Florida adrenaline had faded.
There was no hangover. The 20-year-old -- who's an absolute joy to watch -- reached the final in Eastbourne and won the 125 title in Guadalajara, proving she's a threat week in and week out. I'm expecting even more from her in 2026.
Greg Garber: Dangerous is a loaded word, Brad. Eala has tremendous upside -- there’s that word again -- but she’s still only 20, and I’m hoping she’ll continue to progress upward. Last year, the correct answer to this question was four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka, who was sitting at No. 59.
I’ll go with another veteran multi-major winner: Barbora Krejcikova. She won the singles titles at Roland Garros in 2021, added a second singles major at Wimbledon three years later and is also a seven-time doubles champion (10, including mixed) at the Grand Slams.
Last year was a tough one, as Krejcikova suffered through a series of injuries (back, thigh, knee) and finished the season ranked No. 65. That’s only seventh among Czech players, a fact that should motivate her. At 29, I think she’s got another run in her.