The 2008 Tennis season came to end last week when Novak Djokovic won the ATP Masters Cup in China.

A few low key ITF tournaments are still taking place around the world but most of the top players are taking a hard-earned rest, in preparation for the new season and the first Grand Slam event of 2009 in Australia.

With every new season comes an abundance of new stars on both the WTA and ATP tour. Here are my picks who can start to make an impact in 2009, focusing on the WTA tour.

Obvious choices are teenagers Caroline Wozniacki, Victoria Azarenka and Agnieska Radwanska, who all had a great 2008 and are still young enough to improve a lot more. But let’s look at a few lesser-known players who could improve dramatically with more experience.

Top tip in 2009 is Dutch youngster Arantxa Rus. The 17-year-old is the current junior world No.1, having won the junior Grand Slam in Australia and reached the junior semi-finals Roland Garros and quarter-finals at Wimbledon, won of course by Britain’s Laura Robson.

Rus has slowly been playing more and more on the second tier ITF circuit during 2008 and has leapt up the rankings from 465 to 188 in less than 12 months. She will be 18 next month and her new ranking will enable her to at least start qualifying for bigger and more prestigious tournaments on the WTA circuit.

Although the Dutch girl has yet to record any noticeable victories over top-ranked players she has had consistent results in ITF events winning in Bari, Italy, reaching the final in Zwevegem and semi-final appearances in Biarritz and Petange.

On her debut on the main WTA tour in September, Rus qualified and reached the quarter-finals in Guangzhou, China, defeating top-50 player Gisela Dulko and Belgian talent Yanina Wickmeyer. If her progress continues next year, Arantxa could move into the top 100 and even break into the top 50.

My second pick for stardom is Noppawan Lertcheewakarn of Thailand to follow in the footsteps of Tamarine Tanasurgarn and Paradorn Srichapan.

Noppawan only turned 17 last week and has plenty of time to show her potential.  She is already ranked in the top 400 and 2009 should see her move into a top 200 spot, depending on how many senior tournaments she will play or if she will continue her quest for titles on the junior circuit.

She is currently ranked third in the world and will be remembered most for her defeat in July at the hands of Laura Robson in the Junior Wimbledon final. But she already has two low-key tournament victories in ITF events in Chiang-Mai and Balikpapan while only this week she reached the quarter-finals of a $50,000 event in Kolkota, India. Watch out for Asian tennis’s new star.

My last pick for a great 2009 is 16-year-old Bojana Jovanovski. The Serbian girl may only play a limited schedule next season but she has the potential to join her more established compatriots Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic at the top of the rankings.

Bojana has had tremendous success on the junior circuit, entering the top 10 rankings with quarter-final places at this year’s junior Wimbledon and Australian Open. She has won three $10,000 tournaments since July on the ITF tour and this week had her biggest tournament success yet, reaching the semi-finals in a $50,000 event in Kolkota.

This result will put Jovanovski among the top 500 juniors and, like Lertcheewakarn, she should advance to the top 200 next year.

The move from junior to senior tournaments is a huge step and some players find it easier than others. Some top juniors never quite make the grade and find the distractions and pressure on the WTA tour too much for them.

Arantxa Rus, Noppawan Lertcheewakarn and Bojana Jovanovski , though, have shown enough over the past year to confidently predict big things for them in 2009. Watch this space!