Jana Cepelova’s talent has never been in question. The same, too, can be said for her ability to summon this talent on the big occasion, as she showed with victory over the mighty Serena Williams last year in Charleston.

However, the start of 2015 was not kind to the Slovak, who went into her first round engagement with Simona Halep at Wimbledon with just a single WTA main draw win. If she was short on confidence, it did not show, as she took the match to the No.3 seed from the off.

Going on court with the devil may care attitude only afforded to the heaviest of underdogs, Cepelova swung from the hip. While this approach was not enough to take a closely contested opening set, the World No.106 came roaring back to ultimately triumph, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3.

Asked afterwards how the match compared to her upset of Williams, there was no contest. “It is of course better because it’s Wimbledon, a Grand Slam,” she said. “Simona’s a very good player but today was my day.

“Beating Serena definitely gave me the confidence that I could beat Top 10 players. I’ve had some tough moments this year, but everything is fine now. I’m just really proud.”

At times, Halep was the architect of her own downfall, coughing up 34 unforced errors as she struggled to get to grips with Cepelova’s regular forays to the net.

The Romanian, though, still had her chances, breaking in the first game of the decider only to lose the next four. Cepelova had a wobble of her own when the finishing line loomed, coming from 0-40 down in the final game to clinch victory when Halep splayed yet another forehand wide.

“She kept fighting until the end and played very aggressively when she could,” Halep said. “She also came back into the game very well and made sure that she pushed me a lot, and was just generally so aggressive. But to a degree I let her come back into it and play in this way.”

Two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka had nowhere to go but up after injuries interrupted her 2014 season, and played some of her best tennis when it counted this season.

“I don’t think I’ve ever played that high quality of tennis with my game still coming together,” she said after her epic Wimbledon quarterfinal encounter with World No.1 Serena Williams. “That’s what is promising. That’s something that still keeps me excited, you know, and motivated to go work harder.”

Azarenka and Williams renewed their rivalry at the height of the clay court season; beating her twice in 2013, the Belarusian was eager to kick her comeback into high gear and had her first opportunity to make that happen at the Mutua Madrid Open, where she held multiple match points on the American only to fall in a final set tie-break.

“For me, it was a little bit of a new-old experience again, and I felt I did handle myself well. I just needed to do a little bit better.”

She looked a little bit better a few weeks later at the French Open, where she led Williams by a set and a break on the terre battue, only to drop the final set, 6-2.

“I think looking back at it, you know, I’ve got to learn from that and maybe stay a little bit more aggressive and go a little bit more for my shots. But there wasn’t much wrong that I have done, I think.”

Those first two matches proved to be an amuse bouche for the aforementioned face-off on the lawns of London, where the two titans conspired to play one of the best matches of the season on Centre Court. Bringing out the best in her storied opponent, Azarenka looked close to her first Wimbledon semifinal since 2012, only to lose a third straight three-setter to the American.

“You know, something like this, what happened today, is just a great lesson that I’m going to take and going to go back to work harder because, you know, it’s inspiring. It really is inspiring. I love to be pushed that way. I love that challenge.”

Azarenka’s season was ultimately curtailed by injury for a second straight year, another leg injury forcing her to withdraw from the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open. Having just reached a second straight Grand Slam quarterfinal – where she lost a high-quality affair with No.2 seed Simona Halep – the Belarusian was resolved to eliminate the causes of her niggling injuries by rededicating herself to fitness over the off-season.

“The important thing for me is to get my body fit 100%, on a consistent basis. I have a lot of work to do.”

Teaming up with Halep’s former coach, Wim Fissette and Williams’ former hitting partner, Sascha Baijin, Azarenka was already looking forward to the incoming training bloc following the Asian Swing, and gave every indication that 2016 would truly be her year.

“I believe I need to get faster. I need to get a little bit more mobile. I lost that, the first one-two step movement that I had before in terms of endurance. I feel the longer the match goes, the better I get. I never had problems playing long matches where I get tired. That’s not a problem.

“I just need to focus on those things to get my movement a lot sharper. That’s it. I feel like I’m pretty strong in my body, but I need to get quicker, I need to get faster.”

The stars of the WTA battle it out day after day and week after week for wins, titles and ranking points – but who’s getting the most clicks on wtatennis.com, the official website of the WTA? That’s what we’ll be finding out all week this week as we count down the Top 50 Most Popular Players Of 2015.

From marquee names to WTA Rising Stars and doubles specialists, the WTA has an all-star cast battling it out all season long, and they’re all on the countdown. Where’s your favorite player on the list?

Let’s continue the Top 50 Most Popular Players Of 2015 countdown today with No.30 to No.21!

30] Sania Mirza (IND)
Mirza had breakthrough after breakthrough in 2015 – she discussed it all with CNN Open Court this week – and the World No.1 doubles player was the 30th-most clicked on player on wtatennis.com.

29] Kristina Mladenovic (FRA)
Mladenovic didn’t just break the Top 5 in doubles this year, she also soared into the Top 30 in singles, largely thanks to a run to the US Open quarterfinals. She’s No.29 on this week’s countdown.

28] Heather Watson (GBR)
Watson scored her first Top 10 win against Agnieszka Radwanska, nearly upset Serena Williams at Wimbledon and spent most of the year as British No.1. She was the year-end No.54, but No.28 here.

27] Andrea Petkovic (GER)
The always-popular Petkovic completed a fairytale comeback to the Top 10 after winning her fourth WTA title in 10 months at Antwerp in February, and she comes in at No.27 on this week’s countdown.

26] Camila Giorgi (ITA)
It was fourth time lucky for Giorgi on the grass courts of ‘s-Hertogenbosch this year as she finally won her first WTA title. No.34 on the year-end rankings, she was the No.26-most clicked on player.

25] Sara Errani (ITA)
A fourth straight French Open quarterfinal helped Errani to her fourth straight Top 20 finish, and the Italian grinder comes in at No.25 on the Top 50 Most Popular Players Of 2015 countdown as well.

24] Ekaterina Makarova (RUS)
Her second straight Grand Slam semifinal at the Australian Open helped Makarova climb up to a career-high ranking of No.8 in April, and despite a late season lull, she’s still No.24 on this countdown.

23] Elina Svitolina (UKR)
One of the leading WTA Rising Stars, Svitolina – who reached her first Grand Slam quarterfinal at Roland Garros and won her third WTA title in Marrakech – was the 23rd-most clicked on player in 2015.

22] Carla Suárez Navarro (ESP)
Suárez Navarro had a fantastic first half of the year, reaching three Premier-level finals and making her Top 10 debut, and she comes in at No.22 on the Top 50 Most Popular Players Of 2015 countdown.

21] Jelena Jankovic (SRB)
The former No.1 had a renaissance in 2015, reaching the Indian Wells final and winning her 14th and 15th WTA titles at Guangzhou and Hong Kong, and she was the 21st-most clicked on player too.

Come to wtatennis.com tomorrow for No.20 to No.11 on the Top 50 Most Popular Players Of 2015!

The stars of the WTA battle it out day after day and week after week for wins, titles and ranking points – but who’s getting the most clicks on wtatennis.com, the official website of the WTA? That’s what we’ll be finding out all week this week as we count down the Top 50 Most Popular Players Of 2015.

From marquee names to WTA Rising Stars and doubles specialists, the WTA has an all-star cast battling it out all season long, and they’re all on the countdown. Where’s your favorite player on the list?

Let’s continue the Top 50 Most Popular Players Of 2015 countdown today with No.40 to No.31!

40] Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS)
Kuznetsova, a two-time Grand Slam champion and former World No.2, revived her career in 2015 with a run to the Madrid final and her biggest title in more than five years on home soil in Moscow.

39] Irina-Camelia Begu (ROU)
Begu, Romania’s No.2 player behind Simona Halep, had the best year of her career in 2015, winning her second WTA title in Seoul and setting a career-high No.25. She’s No.39 on this week’s countdown.

38] Samantha Stosur (AUS)
The queen of Australian tennis for the better part of a decade, Stosur picked up a pair of WTA titles this year at Strasbourg and Bad Gastein and was the No.38-most clicked on player on wtatennis.com.

37] Johanna Konta (GBR)
Fast-rising Brit Konta had a phenomenal second half of 2015, highlighted by reaching the second week of the US Open and a stunner over Halep, and her fans couldn’t get enough of her – she’s No.37 here.

36] Caroline Garcia (FRA)
One of the leading WTA Rising Stars, Caroline Garcia was a double threat in 2015 – she had a slew of Top 10 wins on the singles court and the same on the doubles court alongside Katarina Srebotnik.

35] Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA)
Mattek-Sands had a career renaissance this year, going from No.177 to No.61 in singles and No.265 to No.3 in doubles – she picked up three Grand Slam titles, two in women’s doubles and one in mixed.

34] Sabine Lisicki (GER)
Deep runs at some of the biggest tournaments of the year – Indian Wells, Miami, the US Open – and setting the all-time aces record in a match meant Lisicki’s name was clicked on again and again…

33] Sloane Stephens (USA)
The American WTA Rising Star shook the tag of best player never to win a WTA title in a huge way in Washington DC – she lost 20 games in five straight blow-outs en route to victory in the US capital.

32] Daria Gavrilova (RUS)
Gavrilova took out some huge names in 2015 – Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic – and add to that big fan support from both her native Russia and her adopted home of Australia, she’s No.32 on this list.

31] Dominika Cibulkova (SVK)
The 2014 Australian Open finalist was out for months after foot surgery but came back like she hadn’t missed a beat, and she’s seven spots higher on this list than she is on the WTA Rankings, No.38.

Come to wtatennis.com tomorrow for No.30 to No.21 on the Top 50 Most Popular Players Of 2015!

By her own admission, Maria Sharapova knew little of Daria Gavrilova before stepping on court for their opening round encounter at the Miami Open.

Two hours and two sets later, this gap in her knowledge was no longer. Unfortunately for the No.2 seed, so too were her hopes of lifting the title.

Raised on the cement of the Bollettieri Academy in west Florida, success in Miami has proven surprisingly elusive for Sharapova, who has fallen five times in the final at her ‘home’ tournament.

Gavrilova, playing at Crandon Park for the very first time, dashed her hopes at a far earlier juncture this time around, wonderfully marrying defense with attack to shock her childhood idol, 7-6(4), 6-3.

When Sharapova’s final forehand sailed wide, the upset-hungry crowd roared its approval, launching Gavrilova into a celebratory leap. Nearly an hour later, she was still on cloud nine.

“I still can’t realize that it’s my dream,” Gavrilova said in her post-match press conference. “I have been dreaming about beating Maria since I was probably 12 when I saw her win Wimbledon, when she beat Serena. I was like ‘Oh, I really want to play her and beat her’. She was my idol. She’s obviously Russian. She was just huge in Russia.”

Ninety-five places separated the players on the tennis ladder, but it was clear early on that Gavrilova was in no way daunted by the challenge in front of her. If anything, she relished it, winning over the crowd immediately by running down every ball she could reach – and plenty she could not.

“I was actually surprised how many people knew my nickname,” she said. “A few people were saying, ‘Come on, Dasha! Let’s Go! You can do it!’ It was an amazing feeling.”

In a battle of shotmakers, the players racked up both winners and unforced errors in a tense opening set. Surprisingly, it was Sharapova that wavered at the critical moment, snatching at a presentable drive volley when trailing 5-4 in the tie-break.

Gavrilova made the most of this let off, closing out the set before surging 3-0 ahead in the second. Sharapova pegged her back to 4-3, but Gavrilova was not to be denied, breaking to love before serving out for a famous victory.

The 5’5” Gavrilova was a bundle of energy throughout and afterwards Sharapova paid tribute to her conqueror’s tenacity: “She runs a lot of balls down. I was committing a lot of errors off of those balls and not really staying patient, and maybe going for too many winners but not moving forward enough.

“Of course it’s a bit of a surprise. It’s the first round. I’m expected to win. But that’s why we play the matches – you still have to go out and win it, no matter if you’re the favorite. Today I didn’t.”

Two-time US Open finalist Caroline Wozniacki began 2015 knowing she had a tough act to follow after a resurgent year that saw her become World No.1 Serena Williams’ closest rival over the final six months of the 2014 season. Reaching the final of her first tournament of the year at the ASB Classic, the Dane appeared ready for the challenge.

“I love to push myself to the limits,” she explained at the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai. “That’s when I play my best tennis on the court.”

A favorite to go deep at the Australian Open, Wozniacki ran into fellow former No.1 Victoria Azarenka and fell in the second round. Dropping a second straight match to Azarenka in Doha, she bounced back to win her only title of the season in Kuala Lumpur, and parlayed that momentum into some of her best tennis at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart.

“I had a good first half of the year. I was healthy and playing well and I played some of my best tennis, especially on the clay season. I played some great tennis.”

Reaching her third final of 2015, Wozniacki won a thrilling three-setter against top seeded Simona Halep, narrowly losing the final to Angelique Kerber.

A back injury interrupted her grass court season, and more bad luck would follow as the Dane prepared for what is typically her favorite time of year.

“In my first training back I hurt my calf, and US Open Series is the time when I love to play and where I normally play my best tennis.

“Not being able to do that was frustrating.”

Dropping a final set tie-break to an inspired Petra Cetkovska at the US Open, Wozniacki nontheless had a solid Asian Swing that allowed her to remain in contention for a second straight appearance in the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global before losing to Kerber for a second time at the China Open.

Aspiring for stronger results in 2016, the former No.1 plans to create a schedule that she hopes will bring out her best tennis on the biggest stages.

“I think I’m just going to, yeah, try and peak at the right moments and make sure that I have enough matches under my belt for the Slams, but also that I don’t overdo myself.

“Obviously I want to win everything, but peak at the right moments.”

A consistent force for over half a decade, it’s safe to say that the 25 year old still has a few more peaks left in what has already been a glittering career.

HYDERABAD, India – Of all of the trailblazers in the history of women’s tennis, not many have blazed a trail bigger than Sania Mirza, who has become the first Indian woman to do everything from break the Top 50 to reach No.1 and go from winning WTA titles to the biggest of them all, the Grand Slams.

And the greatest aspect of Mirza’s legacy? She started from very, very humble beginnings.

The Hyderabad native recently sat down with CNN Open Court and discussed a wide variety of topics, including how she went from learning the game on courts made of cow manure to winning on the legendary lawns of Wimbledon; the pride she feels for bringing her success back to India; her tennis academy, which is already booming; and doubles partner Martina Hingis, who’s interviewed too.

Watch CNN Open Court’s feature interview with Mirza right here, right now on wtatennis.com:

On this Episode 8, Courtney Nguyen is joined by wtatennis.com Web Editor David Kane for a free-ranging discussion about the 2015 WTA Award nominees. But the conversation is about more than that. The awards are more of a jumping off point to discuss the season as a whole and the big storylines that drove it home: Serena Williams’ domination, the rise of Team Santina, the encouraging future of Russian tennis, and why it’s so difficult to unpack the individual seasons of so many top players, like Simona Halep, Flavia Pennetta, Maria Sharapova, Karolina Pliskova, and Timea Bacsinszky.

Subscribe to the WTA Insider Podcast on iTunes or any podcast app of your choice. New episodes every Monday.