The 2025 WTA Tour season was one of the strongest in recent memory, and several key stars made significant breakthroughs over the past twelve months.<\/p>\n
Amanda Anisimova, Mirra Andreeva, and Ekaterina Alexandrova were among those who made their top-10 WTA Rankings debuts this season, and all eyes will now be on who can make similar progress in 2026.<\/p>\n
Here, we name five WTA Tour stars who could break into the top 10 for the very first time in 2026.<\/p>\n
Clara Tauson<\/p>\n
Current Ranking: 12th
Career-high Ranking: 12th<\/p>\n
Long-recognised as one of the brightest talents in the women\u2019s game, Tauson<\/a> soared up the WTA Rankings in 2025 \u2014 and could be in line for a huge 2026 campaign.<\/p>\n The Dane ended 2024 ranked 52nd in the world but scaled to a stunning new career-high of 12th by the end of 2025, her season highlighted by her run to the Auckland Open title in January.<\/p>\n After spells with injury, that was the 23-year-old\u2019s first title in almost four years, and she would later reach her first WTA 1000 final in Dubai<\/a>, before progressing to the last four of the Canadian Open.<\/p>\n Tauson\u2019s big-hitting game and huge serving are her most significant assets, and she is in touching distance of a huge breakthrough in the opening months of next year.<\/p>\n Tennis News<\/p>\n The Christmas wishlist for Alcaraz, Djokovic, Raducanu and more ahead of 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Exclusive: Ex-WTA star Anna Chakvetadze reflects on her standout memories \u2013 and a match fans still talk about<\/a><\/p>\n Linda Noskova<\/p>\n Current Ranking: 13th Similar to Tauson, a career-best 2025 season has placed world No 13 Noskova<\/a> at a staggering career-high ahead of what could be a landmark 2026 for the Czech ace.<\/p>\n Noskova did not win a WTA title this year but reached three finals, most significantly progressing to her first WTA 1000-level final at the China Open in Beijing<\/a>.<\/p>\n The 21-year-old struggled in the opening months of the season but was incredibly strong during the second half of 2025, and made both her top 20 and top 15 rankings debuts.<\/p>\n One of the best servers on the WTA Tour, Noskova looks set to be the latest in a long line of Czech stars competing at the very top of the women\u2019s game.<\/p>\n Liudmila Samsonova<\/p>\n Current Ranking: 17th Samsonova<\/a> has been a well-established figure on the WTA Tour for a number of years, and always seems capable of pushing the very best on her day.<\/p>\n Consistency has been a key issue for the Russian across her career but 2025 proved to be a strong year for her, with her year-end ranking of 17th up ten places from 2024.<\/p>\n The 27-year-old reached her first Grand Slam quarter-final at Wimbledon and also made the fourth round of Roland Garros, alongside reaching the final in Strasbourg.<\/p>\n A clean and composed ballstriker, Samsonova could be a dark horse for a top-10 debut in 2026 \u2014 similarly to compatriot Alexandrova this year.<\/p>\n Victoria Mboko<\/p>\n Current Ranking: 18th Few WTA players broke through quite as dramatically as Mboko<\/a> in 2025, and all eyes will be on how the Canadian fares as she looks to back up her success in 2026.<\/p>\n Mboko was outside the top 300 at the start of the year before a stellar run on the ITF Tour, though she then propelled herself inside the top 30 after her stunning Canadian Open triumph<\/a>.<\/p>\n The 19-year-old struggled to back that up initially, though she then captured her second WTA Tour title in Hong Kong<\/a> \u2014 and proceeded to crack the top 20 as a result.<\/p>\n With limited points to defend across the opening months of the year, Mboko has the prime opportunity to surge up the WTA Rankings this season.<\/p>\n Diana Shnaider<\/p>\n Current Ranking: 21st After a breakout 2024 campaign, Shnaider<\/a> went through somewhat of a sophomore slump in 2025, with the Russian dropping back down the WTA Rankings.<\/p>\n However, despite a challenging season, the 21-year-old is only just outside the top 20 of the WTA Rankings, and will now have the chance to surge back up the standings across 2026.<\/p>\n There is no doubting Shnaider\u2019s potential, and the star is already the winner of five WTA Tour titles, despite only playing on tour for three seasons.<\/p>\n Having reached world No 11 in the opening months of 2025, a resurgent Shnaider could be one to watch over the next twelve months.<\/p>\n Want more from Tennis365? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites<\/a> list for tennis coverage you can trust.<\/p>\n
Career-high Ranking: 13th<\/p>\n
Career-high Ranking: 12th<\/p>\n
Career-high Ranking: 18th<\/p>\n
Career-high Ranking: 11th<\/p>\n