Climbing the world rankings week after week is already a brutal battle, but doing it as a ‘ghost’ makes it even harder. Six of the top 100 and 13 of the top 150 WTA players have no face in the rankings, just a shadowy silhouette where their photo should be. Croatia’s Antonia Ruzic, sitting at No.72, is one such ghost, joined by Czech Tereza Valentova at No.77 and Argentina’s Solana Sierra at No.82. And guess what? After making history with her breakthrough title, Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah has now spoken out, putting the spotlight firmly on the WTA’s glaring blunder.

When you arrive at a major tournament ranked No.214 in the world, dreaming of lifting the trophy feels almost absurd. Yet, Tiantsoa Sarah Rakotomanga Rajaonah walked into Sunday’s São Paulo Open final with everything to fight for: her first Hologic WTA Tour title, her first professional hard-court crown, the chance to become the first French teenager to win a WTA event since Oceane Dodin in 2016, and the opportunity to be the first Frenchwoman to capture a hard-court title since Caroline Garcia triumphed at the WTA Finals in 2022. 

The 19-year-old entered the final as a clear underdog, yet she tore through expectations with precision and poise. In just 1 hour and 22 minutes, she defeated Janice Tjen 6-3, 6-4 on the iconic Quadra Central Maria Esther Bueno, sealing a breakthrough that redefines her young career. Brazil witnessed the birth of a new name to watch. Right after her historic win, she shifted attention to the WTA’s glaring oversight. When asked about the WTA website, where her profile shows only a minimal description and a black silhouette instead of a photo, she remarked, “I don’t even know how that works, maybe they’ll put a photo, maybe they won’t, I don’t know.”

What makes this even more striking is that Argentina’s Solana Sierra, a player who reached the top 16 at Wimbledon this year, still has no photo on the WTA website. This is not just a small oversight, it’s happening right as the WTA has undergone a major rebranding, pouring resources into a revamped website and polished image. “It’s kind of weird, to be honest. I have photos, and they can take photos. They’ll put it up eventually…” Sierra admitted, capturing what so many players must be feeling.

And she’s not alone. Japan’s Aoi Ito (87), Australia’s Kimberley Birrell (88), Switzerland’s Jil Teichmann (90), Australia’s Talia Gibson (107), Latvia’s Darja Semenistaja (110), Swiss Simona Waltert (124), Spain’s Leyre Romero Gormaz (125), Thailand’s Mananchaya Sawangkaew (131), Czech Dominika Salkova (147), and Russia’s Oksana Selekhmeteva (149) all remain faceless ghosts in the rankings.

Contrast this with the ATP: in the men’s top 150, there are no ghosts. Some players may have simpler, unpolished photos, but every single one of them has a face, even if it looks like a driving licence shot. The WTA’s failure to offer the same basic visibility to its own players feels glaring.

It raises the obvious question: is there really not enough money or manpower within the WTA to get photos of 13 of its top 150 athletes? It’s hard to believe when the tour is backed by corporate giants like Morgan Stanley and Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, PIF.

Worse still, it runs counter to the WTA’s own mission statement: “Founded in 1973 by the visionary Billie Jean King, the WTA was created to build equal opportunities for women in tennis, and we’ve been breaking boundaries ever since. Today we’re the powerhouse of women’s professional sports, uniting athletes in fearless competition and bringing people together through the love of tennis.” Those words sound powerful, but the execution here tells a different story.

Ironically, the WTA even had a photographer accredited at the event. The problem isn’t access, it’s visibility, respect, and the message it sends. These players aren’t ghosts. They are real, connected young women, hustling every week to make a living.

Turning them into black silhouettes is not a small mistake. For this generation, one that lives online, shares everything, and fights to be seen, it feels like erasure. And while Rajaonah spoke candidly about the WTA’s blunder, she also made sure to share her thoughts about the match, grounding her words in the fight she had just endured.

Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah shares her thoughts after first WTA triumph

Matches are often decided in the crucible of their biggest moments, and this one was no different. Early on, Janice Tjen piled on the pressure, creating nine break-point chances in the opening set. Yet Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah stood her ground, saving them with steel, including a breathtaking lob on set point that dropped just inside the baseline.

When her own opportunities came, she struck without hesitation. The teenager converted her first four break points to race ahead by a set and two breaks, tilting the match firmly in her favor. Even as Tjen fought off four break points to hold at 3-4 in the deciding set, the Frenchwoman refused to blink.

Serving for the match, she held her nerve one last time and sealed victory with another daring lob that kissed the baseline — the perfect punctuation mark on a breakout win. Rakotomanga Rajaonah finished 4-for-8 on break points, while Tjen faltered at 2-for-10.

Despite not striking a single ace and committing five double faults, Rajaonah’s serve held up under fire. She landed 67% of her first serves and won an impressive 75% of her second-serve points, outclassing her opponent when it mattered most.

Her fearless shot-making paid dividends as she racked up 17 winners while keeping unforced errors down to 23, an incredible stat given her aggressive approach from the baseline. The teenager played bold, brave tennis and came out on top.

As Alicia Keys’ “Girl on Fire” rang out in the arena, Rajaonah was nearly lost for words. “It was a really stressful week for me,” she said. “The first round was really difficult and yeah, I didn’t know I was going to win this 250 here in Brazil in the first edition. So yeah, I don’t know what to say.” 

A new teenage star is rising; whether she becomes the next big thing, only time will tell.