Russian Revolution Redux

The Russians are coming! The Russians are coming!

And coming, and coming and … you get the idea.

There’s a new wave of players looking to follow in the footsteps of such countrywomen as Dinara Safina, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Maria Sharapova, Elena Dementieva, Nadia Petrova and others. And those aren’t exactly the easiest shoes to fill: Between those five alone, there are five Grand Slam titles won, seven more runner-up finishes at Majors, a handful of Olympic medals, a few Fed Cups and dozens upon dozens of singles titles won.

In other words, Russia has been as dominant a national force on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour as one could imagine, and a new wave of players is determined to help the luminaries mentioned above in keeping that going. Here’s a look at just a few of them:

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova

Age: 18
Current Ranking (as of March 8): 25 | Career-High Ranking: 27

So Far, So Good: Pavlyuchenkova made it two weeks in a row that a Russian won her first singles title by taking the crown in Monterrey over the weekend. And if you want further proof that Pavlyuchenkova is a real player, you can ask Venus Williams: The five-time Wimbledon champ is 2-2 in her head-to-head matchups with the young Russian.

What’s Next: Well, now that she has her maiden title under wraps, it’s off to Indian Wells, where she made a big splash by advancing to the semifinals with wins over former number 1 Jelena Jankovic and consistent top tenner Agnieszka Radwanska along the way. And as four of her five losses this year have been to Ana Ivanovic, Kuznetsova, Venus Williams and Elena Dementieva, it’s obviously going to take a lot for a player to stop her.

Alisa Kleybanova

Age: 20
Current Ranking (as of March 8): 27 | Career-High Ranking: 23

So Far, So Good: There are worse things a player can do in their first career final than win it against one of the game’s most consistent players, Dementieva as Kleybanova did in Malaysia. So far, this is the culmination of a steady rise up the rankings in singles, dating back to when she made her first breakthrough in 2008 by reaching the fourth round of Wimbledon.

What’s Next?: There’s an opportunity to really make a leap the next few weeks at the Indian Wells and Miami tournaments with relatively few points to defend. After those events, a top 10 singles ranking (to match that level in doubles she hit earlier this year) should be within reach.

Vera Dushevina

Age: 23
Current Ranking (as of March 8): 43 | Career-High Ranking: 31

So Far, So Good: In 2009, Dushevina can almost be considered a veteran, having hit her career-high ranking five years ago. But it was last year that she won her first title in her fourth final appearance in her career. The highlight of 2010 has been a quarterfinal run in Sydney, where she came through qualifying to get that far.

What’s Next?: Dushevina has made it a regular occurrence the past few years of finishing in the top 50 and top 100 in the rankings. Versatility on all surfaces should help her maintain that level, if not improve upon it.

Regina Kulikova

Age: 21
Current Ranking (as of March 8): 68 Career-High Ranking: 68

So Far, So Good: After a tough start to the season in Australia, Kulikova fought through qualifying and advanced to the quarterfinals in Dubai, where she took a set from Radwanska before going down in three. Before this run, much of her success has come on the ITF circuit. She did qualify at Wimbledon last year and advance to the third round, her first main-draw appearance at a Slam.

What’s Next?: Sustaining momentum after first reaching the top 70 will be key for Kulikova.. With few points to defend throughout the rest of the year, successful tournament runs through the year could propel her to the top 30.

Van Sias publishes the blog, Tennis Talk, Anyone, which takes a look at all aspects of the professional and amateur game.

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