Leading the charge are 21-year-old Ashleigh Barty and 24-year-old Fed Cup teammate Daria Gavrilova. Barty has experienced a career resurgence since returning to the sport two years ago and now sits at No.19 on the WTA rankings. 

Gavrilova enjoyed a glittering junior career representing her native Russia, winning the 2010 Junior US Open, but has struggled to fully deliver on her junior potential. Now ranked 24^th, Gavrilova has struggled for consistency on the professional circuit, winning just one WTA tour event. 

However, it’s her performances at grand slams that have really let her down. Gavrilova made the fourth round at the 2016 and 2017 Australian Opens, but she has not made it past the second round at the 12 other grand slams she has contested. This includes first round exits as a seeded player at last year’s French Open and Wimbledon. 

“It’s my goal to make that top 15,” Gavrilova said. “Obviously my biggest goal is that I need to be more consistent at the grand slams. Hopefully that’s going to improve my ranking.”

Gavrilova has all the tools to crack the top 10 in the world according to Australian Fed Cup captain Alicia Molik, it’s just a matter of her putting it all together on the court. 

“She should be eyeing the top 10 off,” Molik said. “I think Dasha now has enough experience on tour, she’s won a title now, she can mix it with the best, she’s had top ten wins.

“I think that next step for Dasha is being there in the second week of grand slams more often. 

“We know she’s incredibly fit, we know she’s a fighter and now it’s up to her to put herself in that situation more often.”

Molik has spoken at length in recent days about the depth in the Australian system, with not just Barty and Gavrilova rising through the ranks, but 17-year-old Destanee Aiava, Shellharbour’s Ellen Perez and a host of others emerging as future stars of the sport.

With such a promising group of players emerging, Molik believes women’s tennis is as strong as it has ever been in Australia.  

“Yes absolutely, it’s extremely strong. I think particularly the fact that right now we have two players in the top 25, I think it’s as healthy as it’s ever looked.

“Although Sam’s ranking has dropped slightly, for the last ten years she’s been our highest ranked player, male or female. We’ve definitely been on the right track with our girls coming through.”