Which WTA rising stars should we be looking out for in 2015? Wimbledon.com makes some suggestions...

Belinda Bencic

“She plays exactly like Martina Hingis” – Those were the words Li Na used to describe the WTA Newcomer of the Year Belinda Bencic after beating her en route to the Australian Open title in January.

While some rising stars may struggle with such evaluations, Bencic is well versed in dealing with Hingis comparisons. After all, she’s been fending questions about the five-time Grand Slam champion since storming to back-to-back junior titles at Roland Garros and Wimbledon in 2013.

Bencic is coached by her father, Ivan, but Hingis’ mother Melanie Molitor has helped shape the young Swiss since she first joined her tennis school at the age of four. And similarly to Hingis, Bencic has advanced at a quicker rate than her peers.

After a third round appearance at Wimbledon, the 17-year-old went on to reach the quarter-final at the US Open, posting the first top 10 wins of her career over Angelique Kerber and Jelena Jankovic en route. She closed the season with a first WTA final in Tianjin, finishing at world No. 33.

Next year will mark 18 years since Hingis broke through to reach all four Grand Slam finals, winning the Australian Open – her first major title – Wimbledon and the US Open. Incidentally, it was also the year – 1997 – Bencic was born. The young pretender may not threaten at the Slams in the same way her predecessor did at her age, but she’ll have her sights set on silverware and taking some more giant steps in the right direction.

Garbine Muguruza

While Spanish men have clinched title after title on the ATP World Tour over the past decade, their female counterparts have lagged behind. Some have threatened – see Carla Suarez Navarro – to step in and fill the void left by Aranxta Sanchez Vicario and Conchita Martinez, but none have yet managed to reach the heights set by the Spanish women in the 1990s.

That could all change in 2015 with the emergence of Muguruza and her decision to represent Spain rather than Venezuela, her country of birth.

The 21-year-old enjoyed a breakthrough year in 2014, posting seven top 20 wins. She hit the ground running in January, clinching a maiden WTA title as a qualifier in Hobart after reeling off eight straight-set wins on the trot.

 It was on the clay of Paris, however, where the Venezuelan-born Spaniard made a name for herself. Playing like she had never before tasted defeat, Muguruza reached the French Open quarter-final after posting one of the biggest upsets of the year in the second round, seeing off defending champion Serena Williams for the loss of just four games.

The hard hitting 21-year-old ended the year banging on the door of the top 20 and if she can get off to a good start in the New Year, she could well be breaking through it sooner rather than later.

Taylor Townsend

Serena Williams called Townsend “incredibly talented” after the pair met in a blockbuster first round at the US Open, also adding that her young compatriot “does everything well”. When Andy Murray saw her play at the French Open, he was driven to tweet: “How good is Taylor Townsend! #talent”.

Townsend brings something different to the women’s game. Her abilities coming forward are unrivalled, with volleys and touch that wouldn’t have looked out of place when Navratilova and Evert were chipping and dicing their way to world domination. She gives her opponents something different to think about, and that can be a great strength in itself.

After a stellar junior career which saw her climb to No.1 in the world, Townsend spent the past 12 months steadying her feet on the WTA Tour and she made big strides, climbing almost 200 places to finish this season at No.104 in the world. Her year was highlighted by a third round showing at Roland Garros, which included a dramatic second round win over Frenchwoman Alize Cornet.

Still just 18, 2015 has the potential to be a big year for the left-hander from Chicago. With the experienced Zina Garrison in her corner, expect Townsend to continue her ascent of the rankings and to collect a few noteworthy scalps along the way.

Agree? Disagree? Who did we miss? Let us know in the comments below...