Looking back on the year that was, WA stands to be in good stead on the WTA professional women’s tennis circuit once play resumes, thanks to the State’s leading women of the sport, Maddison Inglis, Astra Sharma, Storm Sanders and the recently retired Jess Moore. Sharing a multitude of breakthrough performances and career highs on the tour during 2019 and 2020 before being sidelined by the COVID-19 pandemic, we take a look back at the year that was for the State’s leading ladies.
Maddison Inglis
Looking back to about the same time last year, Madison Inglis was still chasing her maiden professional title. Fast forward, and in less than twelve months, the hard-hitting Inglis now owns five ITF titles and a career high singles ranking of world number 112.
Proving that consistency is key, Inglis played 12 tournaments in the first five months of 2019, finishing as a quarterfinalist, semifinalist, and finalist; before a semifinals appearance at the 80K event in Japan set Inglis up with the confidence required to claim her maiden ITF title at the W25 Nonthaburi in May.
The hard working 22 year old gained invaluable match fitness throughout the remainder of 2019, playing a total of 25 tournaments where she continued to go deep in the draws of the larger W60, W80 and W100 events. Inglis continued her assault on the tour, in securing her second ITF title in Saskatoon, Canada and her third on Australian soil in Toowoomba. Taking the same form into 2020, Inglis clinched her largest title to date winning the W60 Burnie International, before returning home to Perth for back to back titles where she claimed her maiden Perth International title and her fifth ITF title in just under 10 months.
Placed as Australia’s fourth top ranked professional player, Inglis has well and truly earnt her credible standing alongside World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty, Alija Tomljanović and Sam Stosur.
Astra Sharma
Setting up a sensational year of career high performances, the five foot-ten athletic powerhouse, Astra Sharma went from strength to strength throughout 2019, she cracked the WTA top 100 women in the world in April, before going on to reach a career high ranking of world number 85 by June.
Bursting onto the professional circuit in what was Sharma’s maiden Grand Slam event, the former WA National Academy athlete and Vanderbilt University graduate was a standout at the 2019 Australian Open. Forging her way through the event, Sharma won through the Qualifying rounds to advance to the second round of the Women’s Singles Main Draw, where she played fervently against the then world number 43 Maria Sakkari. Sharma’s performance in the Mixed Doubles draw, alongside fellow Australian John-Patrick Smith, failed to disappoint with the Wildcard entrants going all the way to the Final, before finishing as Runner Up to the number three seeds Rajeev Ram and Babora Krejčíková.
A Singles Final appearance on clay at the WTA Bogota tournament, alongside consistent performances on the international circuit in both singles and doubles throughout 2019, and it’s not surprising really that Sharma was named in the Australian Fed Cup team for both the Asheville, Carolina tie and the November Final in Perth. With some time out due to injury at the end of the 2019 playing season, Sharma was back on the circuit in time for the start of the 2020 season before play was halted amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Returning home to Perth, Sharma currently holds a WTA ranking of No. 126 and Australian women’s ranking of No. 5, keeping good company with World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty, Alija Tomljanović, Sam Stosur and WA compatriot Maddison Inglis.
Storm Sanders
Taking two years out from her singles game between 2017 and late 2019, Storm Sanders returned with a vengeance in October picking up from where she left off in 2017 by thundering her way to the quarterfinals of the W60 Bendigo tournament. The very next week Sanders was back out on court, where she claimed both the singles and doubles title of the W60 Playford to even the score with fellow Australian and number three seed Lizette Cabrera, who she’d lost to in the quarters the week before. Dubbed as the ‘Comeback Queen’ and with confidence building, Sanders went on to outperform all expectations in both the W125 Taipei Open and WTA Thailand Open where she fell both times to quality opponents in the round of 16.
With a dream run return since the resurrection from her two year singles hiatus and with just six tournaments under her belt, and there’s little doubt that Sanders current WTA ranking of 276 was on an ever increasing trajectory of well and truly surpassing her 2014 career high singles ranking of 202.
Singles aside, the well-respected doubles player relished in triumph early in 2020, claiming back to back titles and a second WTA title. Winning the ITF W60 Burnie doubles title alongside fellow Aussie Ellen Perez, Sanders then went on to partner with Arina Rodionova (AUS) in claiming the Thailand Open title in Hua Hin. Adding to an already impressive list of 14 professional doubles titles, Sanders most recent wins in Burnie, Hua Hin and Playford are bolstered further by the 2019 W60 La Bisbal D’Emporda and the 2019 W25 Rome.
The former Fed Cup Player whose current doubles ranking sits just outside her 2016 career high ranking of world No. 63, will no doubt be looking to raise the bar even higher when the highly anticipated playing restrictions are lifted.
Jess Moore
After more than 14 years on the professional circuit Jess Moore chose a fitting finale to her impressive time on the tour, making this year’s 2020 Australian Open her last professional tournament. Playing alongside fellow West Australian Astra Sharma in the first round of the women’s doubles draw, Moore unwittingly stole the show from the world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty in the post-match interview where Barty turned the attention on Moore’s impressive career.
The doubles expert made the most of her final year on the tour, reaching a career high doubles ranking of world No. 52. Winning an impressive 33 doubles titles throughout her time on the circuit, seven of which Moore claimed in 2018, the country girl from Williams included two WTA titles in her count, winning the 2018 Guangzhou International Women’s Open and 2016 Bucharest Open.
Keeping good company on the doubles court, Moore joined Ash Barty in her 2016 return to tennis, with the duo going on to win the doubles title of the Perth Tennis International. Moore also claimed two W50 and one W25 ITF doubles wins with WA local Storm Sanders and in 2010, partnered WA doubles legend Casey Dellacqua in claiming both the Sydney and Mildura W25 titles.
A role model and inspiration to both current and aspiring athletes, Moore’s lasting legacy will be her dedication to hard work, her unwavering commitment to the sport and her genuine sportsmanship shown both on and off the court.
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