In 2006 Anna Chakvetadze became the surprise winner of the Kremlin Cup, getting the better of all her Russian compatriots. Her sheer talent looked promising for a great 2007, which has turned out to be a superb season. So how did she work her way to the top five and how problematic is her temper?

Chakvetadze’s game plan is quite impressive. Her serve can be a bit inconsistent at times but it usually has a clean thump in it. It can, however, look a bit too rushed and maybe a slower thought process could lead on to a more fluent serve.  

Her forehand and backhand can steam down the lines and go cross-court. She employs power in her shots with great conviction. Anna does play doubles so she has developed some net play. The Russian is more then capable of throwing in the odd drop shot, but she must pick and choose when to do so, as sometimes she hands the opponents the points just as easily as she takes them.

'Her tantrums are a big worry. Her temper gets the better of her taking all the pressure off opponents'

Her tantrums are a big worry. Whenever Anna is losing, despite putting forward some solid shots and serves, her temper gets the better of her taking all the pressure off opponents. These tantrums could plague her career or they could disappear. But she seems to be covering more vital ground in her career as she has won all tiers on the WTA tour and has ventured into a semi-final of a Grand Slam.

With tough competitions coming into 2008, can Anna stick to her current ranking of No.6? The answer is most likely to be a big 'no'. Surely the better and consistent players can steal her spot in the limelight. The Serbians, Justine Henin, Maria Sharapova and Svetlana Kuznetsova consistently play at a high level and they will stop the Russian advancing. And if the Williams sisters, Nadia Petrova and Elena Dementieva can shake off injuries and gain consistency, then Anna will be pushed out of the way.

There is no doubt that Chakvetadze is not yet part of the elite set but she could maintain a high ranking if she takes advantage of other players' injuries, restructures her serve and keeps her tantrums at bay.