John Isner gives his verdict on Hailey Baptiste’s chances of cracking the WTA top 10 this year

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Hailey Baptiste’s strong showing in Madrid has put her firmly on the radar ahead of the Italian Open.

After reaching the semifinals, Baptiste moved up seven spots to number 25 in the WTA rankings, marking a new career-high for the American.

Along the way, she took down world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the quarters and also picked up wins over Jasmine Paolini and Belinda Bencic before losing to Mirra Andreeva.

John Isner has now weighed in on whether she could break into the top 10 by late next year.

John Isner doesn’t see Hailey Baptiste breaking into the WTA Top 10 next year

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Speaking about his compatriot on the Nothing Major Show, Isner said: “Not yet in my mind. She is up to 25 in the world. She has a big game, has a lot of swag.

“Most important she has the belief now. When you beat the most dominant player in women’s tennis, I don’t care what the surface is, that is going to give you a lot of confidence.

“In the last couple of years she has not shown that level but now she has. She is young and has a lot of runway ahead of her.

“It’s another American player to root for. She hits such a big ball from the back of the court. She’s very good and it’s awesome to see. She has a lot of personality as well.

“It’s a surprising result to beat Sabalenka but she came through in the clutch so well in that match, to save six match points is extraordinary.

“Top 10? I am not going to say she is going to get there this year.

“She looks to me to be a top 20 player for sure and that’s really cool, because she was not on anyone’s radar I don’t think prior to this year.”