The WTA Progress Chart catapulted mom Bencic to instant fame overnight; which of the three prodigious young girls will become the next big dark horse?

When reviewing the yearly performances of WTA players, many say the top ten rankings clearly show who has made the greatest strides. Yet some believe mom Bencic might take issue with that!

After the WTA tour season ended with the Riyadh year-end finals, American Anisimova was the first to receive widespread acclaim. This is because her progress has been so swift that she appears to merit every compliment imaginable.

If we judge by rankings, Anisimova certainly deserves praise.

Last year, when the American’s world ranking was 359, some fans and netizens worried that the promise of this young prodigy might be a long road to fulfill. Some even claimed that the 2019 French Open semifinal would likely remain a peak that this American player would struggle to reach again for a long time.

However, at the end of the 2025 season, Anisimova stunned skeptics by climbing to world No. 4, making it impossible to deny her rise.

Behind Anisimova’s solid rocket-like rise are her outstanding court performances: winning two WTA 1000 titles in Doha and the China Open, and reaching back-to-back finals at Wimbledon and the US Open, all of which laid a strong foundation for her powerful ascent.

However, although Anisimova’s jump in ranking is impressive, the most dazzling female tennis player is someone else — the Swiss star Bencic.

Bencic is definitely one of the most distinctive personalities among female players! This Tokyo Olympic champion has been quite headstrong; after choosing the man she loves, she not only embraced love but also started a family. When Bencic gave up the Zhuhai final to have a child out of wedlock, many believed that since most female players struggle to return to their peak after childbirth, the Swiss star was ruining her career.

After giving birth in 2024 and returning to the tour, Bencic’s ranking fell sharply, which convinced many outsiders that having a child for love was indeed career suicide for the Swiss player.

A world ranking of 913 is a position from which few expect a comeback.

Even when Bencic won her first tour title after returning in Abu Dhabi, which was also a 500-level event, many thought she just got lucky and wouldn’t maintain that form.

It wasn’t until she reached the Wimbledon semifinals that opinions began to shift, with many admitting Bencic should be viewed differently from other moms returning to tennis like Osaka, Kerber, and Wozniacki, and perhaps even surpassing another tennis mom, Svitolina.

After Bencic’s 500-level title in Tokyo, although her status as a mom-player gained her some fans, the excitement quickly faded, and many didn’t see her as particularly remarkable.

Only after the WTA progress rankings were released, showing Bencic’s ranking skyrocketed by 902 spots in just one year to reach No. 11, just shy of the top ten, did everyone clearly recognize the huge strides she made in tennis. Consequently, Bencic instantly became a sensation, setting a benchmark and role model status among current mom players.

Of course, sharing the spotlight with Bencic are three young prodigies dubbed “genius girls”: 19-year-old Mboko, 18-year-old Valentova, and 17-year-old Jovic.

Among them, Mboko rose from No. 350 to No. 18; Valentova climbed from No. 261 to No. 56; and Jovic jumped from No. 206 to No. 35.

When discussing which of these three prodigies holds the most promising future and might become a potential dark horse in women’s tennis, Canadian Mboko is widely favored.

Setting aside other factors, just winning the home 1000-level tournament in Canada this year, along with consistent performance throughout the year, has secured Mboko a seeded spot in major tournaments, making her a player no top competitor can afford to underestimate.

Moreover, at only 18 years old, her youth is an asset, leading many to consider Mboko one of the core contenders most likely to challenge the positions of Sabalenka, Swiatek, and Gauff in the future. Some even bet that the Canadian will deliver more surprises in 2026 — let’s wait and see!(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Moonlight River’s Starry Sky)