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Major Threat: Simona Halep, Serena Williams lead 10 best performers at recent Slams

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Not all tournaments are created equal. It’s no surprise that the marquee names in the sport all possess the uncanny ability to bring their best on the biggest stage at the sport’s four major tournaments. 

With the 2019 US Open around the corner, who are the most reliable players over recent years at the majors? 

To evaluate a player’s strike rate at the Slams, the WTA Insider Team applied the same empirical formula used to determine the surface-specific WTA Insider Power Rankings. To measure a player’s recent aptitude at the majors, the Insider team applied the following formula, which takes into account a player’s results over the last four seasons:

100% of points earned at Slams in 2019
75% of points earned at Slams in 2018
50% of points earned at Slams in 2017
25% of points earned at Slams in 2016

The resulting sum accounts for a player’s “Slam Index.”

Simona Halep and Serena Williams top the list at No.1 and No.2, with each beating out the rest of the field in the number of quarterfinals made over the four year span (Halep: 8, Serena 9). The pair have faced off twice this year, both at the Slams, and split results. Serena got the better of Simona in the Australian Open Round of 16, and Halep earned her revenge last month in the Wimbledon final. 

Also featuring on the Top 10 list are the two youngest additions to the Club of Champions. Twelve months ago, neither Naomi Osaka or Ashleigh Barty had made it past the Round of 16 at a major. Osaka is now a two-time major champion, while Barty followed up her major breakthrough after making the Australian Open quarterfinals this year, by winning Roland Garros. 

The list includes 2 women who are still chasing their first major titles, but whose Slam bona fides are well-proven. Sitting at No.5, Karolina Pliskova has made 7 major quarterfinals over the four-year span, third only to Halep and Williams. At No.6 is Madison Keys, who has made five major quarterfinals in her last 7 Slam appearances, the best rate of any player over that span.

Here’s the full Top 10 list: 

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